Every year in the UK a quarter of a million people are injured and around 70 people die while attempting DIY projects. Of those deaths, 75% are caused by falls from ladders (that's around one every week).
Good DIY should always mean safe DIY. Take a look through our top tips for tool use, safety and help eradicate risk from your projects. Remember - no home improvement project is worth injuring yourself for.
Safety First Means Better Results
DIY tools should always be stored and handled with the greatest of care. Not only will this mean you are safer, but if they are correctly handled your tools will last longer, be more reliable and your results will be better.
Here are a number of points to be consider when working with and storing do-it-yourself equipment:
All power tools should be unplugged after use. Even if they are remaining unused for a short period of time
Power cables can cause people to trip and become tangled up with other wires and cabling. Remember: An active power tool can look harmless, but is capable of causing serious injury and should never be left unattended
Keep drill bits away from small hands, always remove them from the drill you are using, and ensure that they are stored correctly, in a small case, preferably away from the drill itself
Power Tools
Smaller power tools should always be stored in higher places. Don't put them on display, rather, keep them under lock and key if at all possible
Tool accessories should be store away in their cases. It will make each job more frustrating than the last if you need to go rooting around for attachments, bits and extensions every time you change task - tidy as you go - the more efficiently you work, the safer you will tend to be. You should keep your 'work area' itself neat and tidy at all times
Particular care should be taken with tools that require no separate power supply to operate. The latest generation of compact rechargeable power tools - which include everything from drills and power-sanders to electric screwdrivers - are small enough to be handled by young children, but powerful enough to cause serious injury
Keep pets and children away from the garden when mowing lawns or cutting hedges
All garden tools and power-tools need to be correctly cleaned each time they are used, as soon after completion of the job as possible. Delaying the cleaning job may seem attractive after a long period of working with a tool, but it will be twice as hard to clean after it has been left, making it less safe, and less efficient next time you need it
Safe Storage
Wind up any cords, leads and extension cables. These can be hung on pegs to prevent tangles, in a dry garage or shed, as above
Store garden tools in a locked cellar, shed or garage to protect them from the elements. An ideal way to store trimmers and clippers is in a hanging position, checking first that the place they are hung in is free from damp and safe from drips from any (eg leaking shed roofs)
Larger - in particular static - items of equipment such as table and band saws, vice equipment or drills, should be kept covered when not in use. This can be done with a cover designed for that piece of equipment, or simply a piece of tarpaulin kept for that purpose. This will help keep your work area neat and clean, extending the overall life of all your equipment
For more information on tool safety in the workplace and in the home, visit the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) website at:
www.hse.gov.uk
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