Each bank holiday brings with it a wave of fresh DIY activity, with an estimated 40% of UK residents set to carry out DIY tasks this August bank holiday. Based on the latest ONS data, that’s equivalent to around 11 million households getting stuck into home and garden improvements over the course of the long weekend.
While some DIY pros will see their plans go without a hitch, NHS data shows a steady increase in the number of DIY-related hospitalisations occurring in the UK in recent years, causing experts at FirstAid.co.uk to urge caution and preparedness this summer.
- The number of hospitalisations caused by powered hand tools and household machinery rose 11% between 2020 and 2022, totalling over 5,600 admissions.
- 1 in every 40 admissions related to a power tool injury in 2021 was for a child, with 1 in every 100 admissions being a child aged just 0-9.
Previous research from Toolstation found that adults will spend as many as 10 hours each bank holiday weekend on DIY, with popular tasks including painting and decorating, building furniture, putting up shelves and gardening.
“Household DIY injuries cover everything from slips, trips and falls to glue gun and electrical burns, particles getting into people’s eyes, and cuts sustained while sawing wood or cutting carpets.” Says Rachel Clifford, of FirstAid.co.uk’s Safety First Aid Training Division. “While preventing accidents should always be a primary consideration, it’s also important to be prepared in case something does go wrong – for minor injuries you can avoid spending your bank holiday in A&E by having things like bandages and eye wash solution to hand.”
NHS data shows an 11% increase in the number of DIY-related hospitalisations occurring in the UK in 2021 compared to 2020, with almost 500 people hospitalised in the UK every single week as the result of contact with power tools and other household machinery. And along with the growing list of hospital admissions for children who have come into contact with power tools each year – 154 in 2021 alone – NHS data notes that 15 children were hospitalised last year as the result of coming into contact with a powered lawnmower.
“Though we can’t know the exact series of events that led to this, it highlights how important it is to keep children well supervised when potentially dangerous tools and machinery are in use, and why things like lawnmowers, drills and saws should never be left unattended.” Clifford says. “While goggles and protective clothing go a long way to protect the person doing the DIY, it’s important to practise as much caution as possible if you’re carrying out tasks while children are nearby. Ideally, children should be entertained and supervised in another room or an enclosed part of the garden, well away from the task at hand.”
Get more information, including how to prevent and treat DIY injuries and advice on keeping children out of harm’s way, at FirstAid.co.uk/treat-prevent-common-diy-injuries/
For additional information about when to treat injuries at home and when to go to A&E, visit NHS.uk/conditions to find injury-specific advice.
