DIY Disasters: 200,000 people end up in hospital each year
Whist the dream of finding a bargain property and adding your own touch is the flavour of the month, it might be worth bearing in mind the non-glamour side. A survey from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents reveals that DIY results in 200,000 hospital visits each year.
More than 200,000 people end up at hospital each year through DIY and cleaning disasters; 87,000 are from power tools and other machinery, and 30,000 are from falling off ladders while cleaning windows.
Top ten tools for accidents per year are:
- Knives and scalpels (25,000)
- Saws (15,000)
- Grinders (6,500)
- Hammers (6,000)
- Chisels (4,000)
- Screwdrivers (3,500)
- Power drills (3,000)
- Equal position - planes, axes and welding equipment (2,000 each)
If this list made you cringe, there are a few useful sites to help get into the swing of DIY, in particular www.diynot.com which provides a forum for everyone who is dealing with home improvement. And if you want to read about some horror stories, like the guy who shot himself in the heart with a nail gun have a look at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4145572.stm.
And if you have any stories of your own please tell us about it.
