Your essential guide to home DIY and gardening safety

Irish Examiner

4 days ago

A toppling fall or a smashed hand in the course of your DIY adventures? It doesn't take more than a misstep off one rung of the ladder or neglecting to wear appropriate gloves to end up sulking in A&E for several sweltering hours. Other highly preventable accidents could prove a lot more serious, wiping the sun out of the sky for the rest of our summer. Let's put ourselves in a safer space before we even start wrestling with that urgent project.
According to the most recent statistics of trauma's arriving in Irish hospitals compiled by the National Office of Clinical Audit research headed by Conor Deasy, Cork University Hospital consultant in emergency medicine, the average age of major trauma patients was 62, with 51% aged 65 years and older. The majority of traumas (82%) were caused by low falls of less than two metres from standing height (not DIY or gardening specific, but you get the message. It doesn't take much). For all age groups, the home was the most common place of injury at 55% of cases gathered over 2021 and 2022.
Starting on any home or horticultural adventure, the number one bit of advice from the National Safety Association of Ireland (NSAI) is to dress for safety, with dedicated personal protective equipment (PPE) suited to the job.
It advises you to wear 'safety goggles, gloves, and dust masks, where necessary." It adds that you should only buy PPE "which displays a genuine CE Mark, either on the box or the item itself. This signifies that the PPE satisfies certain basic health and safety requirements". As an added bonus, safety gloves help you get a firmer grip on tools and equipment.'
Are you fit enough for the environment needing the job? Attics are sweltering, dark and potentially dangerous for the inexperienced and unfit.
This point is often overlooked. PPE helps you to relax into and to get that work done more effectively. According to the NSAI, 'Long sleeves are useful as protection against UV rays and flying debris. Always ensure that they are well-fitted and tight to prevent entanglement with branches and power equipment. If you're out in the sun, wear sun cream with at least a four-star UVA rating.'
This would include your head — have you ever burned your scalp? Deeply uncomfortable.
Every year, two householders will die falling from a ladder, and over 200 people will die from an accidental fall from height. The standard for any ladder is I.S. EN 131, but consider any ladder unsafe when you're working alone, especially if you're a silver fox without the balance, coordination, speed, and exquisite muscle control of your youth.
Only set up a ladder of any height, including a step ladder, on firm, level ground. Don't lean out one side, keep your body between the rails, and never stand on the topmost rungs. If you don't need to mount a ladder inside or out, and you're physically challenged in any way? Simple — don't do it.
We have a rule here at Castle Kya — any sort of ladder work is a two-person job, and even with my 6ft 5in Viking holding me steady, my nerves, served by a deeper wisdom, are starting to fail. If you need more persuasion, it's worth noting that falls are the leading cause of home injury. Stairs, landing, and floors (falling from a flat floor) are getting special mention in every statistical count in the UK and Ireland after ladders, including the UK's National Safety Council Injury Facts.
Treat all power tools, including bladed ones like this hedge trimmer with caution and respect. Always wear stout gloves.
With the charge dancing unseen through defended cables, we have way too much faith in the safety of modern electrical-fed appliances in the garden and garage. You know that little folder bit of paper we chuck in the bin on tearing open a box with a hedge-cutter or a jigsaw? That's packed full of information that could save your skin.
One of the primary pieces of good sense is to unplug (or, in the case of battery devices, turn off) anything powered when adjusting it or cleaning it or when you have to step away from it.
Electric Ireland adds, 'Check all flexes, plugs, and sockets for any signs of damage before use. Never try to repair a damaged item yourself. When using extension reels, make sure to uncoil them completely to prevent overheating. Never use electrical appliances in the rain or in wet conditions. Keep trailing flexes well clear of lawnmower blades, hedge-trimmers, and electric saws.'
Always keep away from mains overhead and underground cabling while you're trimming trees, and don't start any job of any kind after a drink or an intoxicating smoke.
My classic safety list always includes competence for the activity. When dressing up for the job, watching 15 YouTube videos and having all the enthusiasm, vision, and materials, doesn't necessarily mean this is something you should attempt. Despite the narcissistic drift of current societal trends — nope, we can't do everything. Any roofing project bar clearing easily accessible guttering should be off the table for just about every civilian not working in the trade.
Many of us are just clueless about what presents a real danger. The latest figures in the UK National Safety Council's online statistical database Injury Facts shows that poisonings were the third leading cause of DIY-related accidents, with hatchets and axes curiously causing the least carnage. In 2021 alone, poisonings caused 1,734,576 injuries.
The council reminds readers that 'certain chemical combinations can result in serious injuries, such as burning eyes, chest pain, and shortness of breath. For example, bleach should never be mixed with ammonia or rubbing alcohol at the risk of causing a toxic gas'.
Painting and decorating? Low odour paints are not necessarily VOC-free. The windows should be flung wide. Working on walls and ceilings? The council adds: 'Breathing in drywall dust can be incredibly harmful and can cause worrying respiratory damage, such as a severe cough, shortness of breath, and tightness in the chest.' What seems like a simple job takes a basic understanding of tools, materials, and accessories, and what's appropriate for what. Take, for instance, a sharp craft knife. You should always be cutting away from you, balancing the cut on something to guide the motion with a baton as a guide. Always store knives securely.
DIY and gardening safety is not just about the person carrying out the work. If you can't match the right wall-plug to a screw, or don't understand things like loading, that huge rococo mirror could crown a family member. Take your time, build your skills and start small. When you buy anything, take the time to get to know the product or material. Most of what you need to know is right there, printed on the can or the set of instructions. Be humble enough at the end of the day to recognise your limits. Sometimes, it's not just about the money, and it really is wiser to pay a skilled, properly insured pro.