Recent research has shown DIY bodges cost people £850m a year in paying builders to sort them out.
Not only that, but some 70 people die each year from DIY disasters with a further 200,000 injured.
And despite that, a recent Federation of Master Builders survey reckons that 40% of people will still attempt all their building work themselves.
If you're one of the 40% - you've been warned.
Mind how you go now.
Showing posts with label Tools. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tools. Show all posts
Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Monday, 14 April 2008
Stick to the hammer and nails.
The perils of using a simple tool like a nail gun have been displayed recently as two victims will no doubt tell you when and if they recover. One DIY fan called Nigel from Leicester decided to nail the floorboards down in his bathroom with a DIY staple gun. Seems fair enough, you might say.
The problem arose when the clumsy clot lost his balance and fell over. As he explains 'I heard the gun go off. I felt a pain in my chest, so I went to take off my jumper, but I couldn't because it was nailed to my chest.' Ouch!
It was later revealed at hospital that the nail was an inch inside his heart, and a single millimeter away from the main artery. In the most shocking, and most stupid, aspect of the story, the man actually considered removing the nail with pliers before dialing 999. Certain death would have followed.
Best left to the professionals you might say or maybe not as a 17 year old working on a building site in Australia recently shot himself in the head with a nail gun.
Mind how you go now.
The problem arose when the clumsy clot lost his balance and fell over. As he explains 'I heard the gun go off. I felt a pain in my chest, so I went to take off my jumper, but I couldn't because it was nailed to my chest.' Ouch!
It was later revealed at hospital that the nail was an inch inside his heart, and a single millimeter away from the main artery. In the most shocking, and most stupid, aspect of the story, the man actually considered removing the nail with pliers before dialing 999. Certain death would have followed.
Best left to the professionals you might say or maybe not as a 17 year old working on a building site in Australia recently shot himself in the head with a nail gun.
Mind how you go now.
Friday, 28 March 2008
Safer living in the South?
Homeowners in the south-east of the UK are the worst culprits for DIY disasters, according to new research.
Some 29 per cent of the recorded incidents of damage caused to neighbours' properties as a result of property renovation occurred in the south-east, a new Halifax study indicates.
A cumulative £173 million worth of damage is caused by neighbours undertaking home improvement projects, with one-third of those affected having to cover the cost themselves, while others split the cost.
David Rochester, head of underwriting at Halifax Home Insurance, said: "A number of errant DIYers are not just damaging their properties, but their neighbours' homes too."
Mind how you go now.
Some 29 per cent of the recorded incidents of damage caused to neighbours' properties as a result of property renovation occurred in the south-east, a new Halifax study indicates.
A cumulative £173 million worth of damage is caused by neighbours undertaking home improvement projects, with one-third of those affected having to cover the cost themselves, while others split the cost.
David Rochester, head of underwriting at Halifax Home Insurance, said: "A number of errant DIYers are not just damaging their properties, but their neighbours' homes too."
Mind how you go now.
Thursday, 20 March 2008
DIY fans expected to cause up to £25 million damage this Easter
DIY enthusiasts could cause up to £25million worth of damage in British homes this Easter weekend - one of the most popular periods for taking on home improvements.
Research suggests that a clumsy 16 per cent of people have damaged their homes or their property carrying out a DIY improvement and the industry expects to pay out anything up to £25 million for DIY-related damage this Easter.
A survey of 2,000 householders by an insurance company also found that nearly 30 per cent of people admit they have injured themselves or someone else while carrying out a DIY job. This figure is supported by the fact that an estimated 200,000 DIY enthusiasts turn up at hospital each year.
Worryingly, 55 per cent admitted to starting a DIY job without the correct tools and almost 50 per cent said that they had started a DIY job without really knowing how to do it - including electrical and plumbing jobs.
So if you're looking to start those long-awaited home improvements this weekend - you just mind how you go!
Research suggests that a clumsy 16 per cent of people have damaged their homes or their property carrying out a DIY improvement and the industry expects to pay out anything up to £25 million for DIY-related damage this Easter.
A survey of 2,000 householders by an insurance company also found that nearly 30 per cent of people admit they have injured themselves or someone else while carrying out a DIY job. This figure is supported by the fact that an estimated 200,000 DIY enthusiasts turn up at hospital each year.
Worryingly, 55 per cent admitted to starting a DIY job without the correct tools and almost 50 per cent said that they had started a DIY job without really knowing how to do it - including electrical and plumbing jobs.
So if you're looking to start those long-awaited home improvements this weekend - you just mind how you go!
Monday, 3 March 2008
The Victim's Tale
Yes, we know it's an urban myth - but we like it anyway.
Here's the Accident Report from a man whi had an accident at work, so he filled out an insurance claim. The insurance company contacted him and asked for more information. This was his response:
"I am writing in response to your request for additional information, for block number 3 of the accident reporting form. I put 'poor planning' as the cause of my accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more fully and I trust the following detail will be sufficient. I am an amateur radio operator and on the day of the accident, I was working alone on the top section of my new 80-foot tower. When I had completed my work, I discovered that I had, over the course of several trips up the tower, brought up about 300 pounds of tools and spare hardware. Rather than carry the now unneeded tools and material down by hand, I decided to lower the items down in a small barrel by using the pulley attached to the gin pole at the top of the tower. Securing the rope at ground level, I went to the top of the tower and loaded the tools and material into the barrel. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow decent of the 300 pounds of tools."
"You will note in block number 11 of the accident reporting form that I weigh only 155 pounds. Due to my surprise of being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate of speed up the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40-foot level, I met the barrel coming down. This explains my fractured skull and broken collarbone. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately, by this time, I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold onto the rope in spite of my pain. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of tools hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel."
"Devoid of the weight of the tools, the barrel now weighed approximately 20 pounds. I refer you again to my weight in block number 11. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40-foot level, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, and the lacerations of my legs and lower body. The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of tools and, fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked. I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the tools, in pain, unable to stand and watching the empty barrel 80 feet above me, I again lost my presence of mind. I let go of the rope..."
Mind how you go now.
Here's the Accident Report from a man whi had an accident at work, so he filled out an insurance claim. The insurance company contacted him and asked for more information. This was his response:
"I am writing in response to your request for additional information, for block number 3 of the accident reporting form. I put 'poor planning' as the cause of my accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more fully and I trust the following detail will be sufficient. I am an amateur radio operator and on the day of the accident, I was working alone on the top section of my new 80-foot tower. When I had completed my work, I discovered that I had, over the course of several trips up the tower, brought up about 300 pounds of tools and spare hardware. Rather than carry the now unneeded tools and material down by hand, I decided to lower the items down in a small barrel by using the pulley attached to the gin pole at the top of the tower. Securing the rope at ground level, I went to the top of the tower and loaded the tools and material into the barrel. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow decent of the 300 pounds of tools."
"You will note in block number 11 of the accident reporting form that I weigh only 155 pounds. Due to my surprise of being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate of speed up the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40-foot level, I met the barrel coming down. This explains my fractured skull and broken collarbone. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately, by this time, I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold onto the rope in spite of my pain. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of tools hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel."
"Devoid of the weight of the tools, the barrel now weighed approximately 20 pounds. I refer you again to my weight in block number 11. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40-foot level, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, and the lacerations of my legs and lower body. The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of tools and, fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked. I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the tools, in pain, unable to stand and watching the empty barrel 80 feet above me, I again lost my presence of mind. I let go of the rope..."
Mind how you go now.
Monday, 18 February 2008
Don't mess with Oil tanks!
After smoking marijuana and consuming substantial alcohol at a popular party spot in Routt National Forest, USA two teens decided that it would be fun to leap and cavort upon a mostly-empty oil tank.
Mostly empty...
"There were several ignitions sources," according to the local sheriff. Teenagers were smoking, and there was a bonfire nearby. The energetic gyrations of the dancers caused fumes to leak from the relief valve, and an ignition source sparked a "flashdance" as the crude oil storage tank exploded, hurling two teens 150 yards to their deaths.
The deceased were identified as Samuel and Christopher, 17 and 19.
Mind how you go now!
Mostly empty...
"There were several ignitions sources," according to the local sheriff. Teenagers were smoking, and there was a bonfire nearby. The energetic gyrations of the dancers caused fumes to leak from the relief valve, and an ignition source sparked a "flashdance" as the crude oil storage tank exploded, hurling two teens 150 yards to their deaths.
The deceased were identified as Samuel and Christopher, 17 and 19.
Mind how you go now!
Thursday, 3 January 2008
I told you to be careful!!
With earthquakes that hardly trouble the Richter scale, and just one native poisonous snake, you'd think Britain was the safest country on Earth.
But that didn't stop more than a million of us ending up in accident and emergency last year - sometimes for the most bizarre of reasons.
These included three patients needing treatment after being bitten by a crocodile or alligator in the last year. The luckless trio were among 77 patients bitten by reptiles overall.
In addition, eight Britons got into a pickle with a scorpion, 12 pushed their luck with a venomous spider - and 725 had a nasty encounter with a hornet.
Fifty-five people were seen after suffering 'contact' with venomous snakes or lizards, and 22 came off worse from an encounter with a marine animal or plant.
The latest emergency hospital admissions statistics also revealed that one unidentified patient needed to see a doctor "for an illness resulting from staying too long in a weightless environment".
Another 60 Britons were seen by paramedics after being struck by lightning.
Doctors and nurses treated 4,660 dog bite injuries, with 1,369 of the victims being under 14. DIY enthusiasts also kept medical staff busy. There were 3,435 injuries while using power tools and other household machinery, and there were 452 lawnmower accidents.
Some of the other statistics might confirm suspicions over declining public services.
Amid fears that fortnightly bin collections are fuelling a boom in the numbers of vermin, it is disconcerting to note that 19 people visited a casualty department after being bitten by a rat.
Two of these victims needed to be admitted to hospital.
Equally worrying, 9,000 people were treated for illnesses contracted while in hospital and there were 162 cases of foreign objects being left in the body after surgery or other treatment.
Overall, 1,096,946 Britons were treated by casualty staff during 2006-07.
Not all of them injured themselves in such exotic ways, with more than 86,000 being hurt after "slipping, tripping or stumbling".
There were also 246 shooting victims, and nearly 6,000 people were stabbed, with all but 550 being men. On top of that, there were more than 3,500 cases of people being hit with a blunt instrument.
I told you to mind how you go didn't I?
Now - you take note.
And mind how you go.
But that didn't stop more than a million of us ending up in accident and emergency last year - sometimes for the most bizarre of reasons.
These included three patients needing treatment after being bitten by a crocodile or alligator in the last year. The luckless trio were among 77 patients bitten by reptiles overall.
In addition, eight Britons got into a pickle with a scorpion, 12 pushed their luck with a venomous spider - and 725 had a nasty encounter with a hornet.
Fifty-five people were seen after suffering 'contact' with venomous snakes or lizards, and 22 came off worse from an encounter with a marine animal or plant.
The latest emergency hospital admissions statistics also revealed that one unidentified patient needed to see a doctor "for an illness resulting from staying too long in a weightless environment".
Another 60 Britons were seen by paramedics after being struck by lightning.
Doctors and nurses treated 4,660 dog bite injuries, with 1,369 of the victims being under 14. DIY enthusiasts also kept medical staff busy. There were 3,435 injuries while using power tools and other household machinery, and there were 452 lawnmower accidents.
Some of the other statistics might confirm suspicions over declining public services.
Amid fears that fortnightly bin collections are fuelling a boom in the numbers of vermin, it is disconcerting to note that 19 people visited a casualty department after being bitten by a rat.
Two of these victims needed to be admitted to hospital.
Equally worrying, 9,000 people were treated for illnesses contracted while in hospital and there were 162 cases of foreign objects being left in the body after surgery or other treatment.
Overall, 1,096,946 Britons were treated by casualty staff during 2006-07.
Not all of them injured themselves in such exotic ways, with more than 86,000 being hurt after "slipping, tripping or stumbling".
There were also 246 shooting victims, and nearly 6,000 people were stabbed, with all but 550 being men. On top of that, there were more than 3,500 cases of people being hit with a blunt instrument.
I told you to mind how you go didn't I?
Now - you take note.
And mind how you go.
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
Top 5 Stupid DIY Accidents - Number 3
We like the story of the chap from Gwent who decided to plumb in an outside tap to make watering the garden easier for his sister-in-law.
As his sister-in law tells it, he used a 'DIY outside tap kit' which he fixed to an existing water pipe, puncturing the pipe and allowing the water to flow through the tap when in use.
The problem was that he didn't connect it to the water pipe - but to the flippin' gas pipe!!
So instead of watering the plants, he gassed them.
Don't you despair sometimes?
You mind how you go!
As his sister-in law tells it, he used a 'DIY outside tap kit' which he fixed to an existing water pipe, puncturing the pipe and allowing the water to flow through the tap when in use.
The problem was that he didn't connect it to the water pipe - but to the flippin' gas pipe!!
So instead of watering the plants, he gassed them.
Don't you despair sometimes?
You mind how you go!
Wednesday, 7 November 2007
Top 10 DIY Tools
Now, I suppose you think that old Harry is just messing about with this DIY disaster thing - but oh no!
I'm nothing if not careful with my research. And I've been doing some sniffing around with those in the know. And RoSPA - the Royal Society For The Prevention Of Accidents - have a list with the top 10 dangerous DIY implements:
1. Knives and scalpels (21,300 accidents in the UK each year);
2. Saws (15,100);
3. Grinders (6,400);
4. Hammers (5,800);
5. Chisels (3,900);
6. Screwdrivers (3,400);
7. Power Drills (3,000);
8. Axes (2,200);
9. Planes (2,100);
10. Welding Equipment (2,000).
What's more, injuries from tools and machinery are estimated to account for 87,000 of the 220,000 DIY injuries.
You mind how you go now.
Harry
I'm nothing if not careful with my research. And I've been doing some sniffing around with those in the know. And RoSPA - the Royal Society For The Prevention Of Accidents - have a list with the top 10 dangerous DIY implements:
1. Knives and scalpels (21,300 accidents in the UK each year);
2. Saws (15,100);
3. Grinders (6,400);
4. Hammers (5,800);
5. Chisels (3,900);
6. Screwdrivers (3,400);
7. Power Drills (3,000);
8. Axes (2,200);
9. Planes (2,100);
10. Welding Equipment (2,000).
What's more, injuries from tools and machinery are estimated to account for 87,000 of the 220,000 DIY injuries.
You mind how you go now.
Harry
Tuesday, 6 November 2007
So what kind of disasters make me smile?
It was reckoned that British DIY endeavours are costing a total of £2.6 million annually as a result of unforeseen mishaps - or so it is according to research from Insurance company Churchill.
Accidental damage caused while attempting to improve a property costs an average of £540 and a full 20 per cent of British households are likely to make the effort do it themselves .
What's most worrying is that more than half of householders confess to not being particularly adept at carrying out DIY ideas. So why on earth do they do it?
But it does make for a good giggle though. To be honest, I'm not really fussy how things go wrong - so long as they do and that they don't involve me!
I like quite simple and straightforward incompetence such as the chap we know who was sawing some wood. For some reason he then decided to see if he could fit his finger through a hole in the work bench. He could, but it was stuck.
Unfortunately he was the only person at home at the time, and the only way he could free himself was to saw a chunk out of the workbench, using his left hand.
Priceless!
I also liked the story about the chap who was using a motorised saw while cutting a piece of skirting board. For some reason, he decided to lift the safety guard so that he could see the pencil markings, and then brought the machine down, cutting off his hand. He needed a nine hour operation to reattach his hand, and this was then followed by four other operations.
Fantastic!
I'll be scouring the web - and keeping an ear and an ey out for more great DIY disasters!
You mind how you go now.
Harry
Accidental damage caused while attempting to improve a property costs an average of £540 and a full 20 per cent of British households are likely to make the effort do it themselves .
What's most worrying is that more than half of householders confess to not being particularly adept at carrying out DIY ideas. So why on earth do they do it?
But it does make for a good giggle though. To be honest, I'm not really fussy how things go wrong - so long as they do and that they don't involve me!
I like quite simple and straightforward incompetence such as the chap we know who was sawing some wood. For some reason he then decided to see if he could fit his finger through a hole in the work bench. He could, but it was stuck.
Unfortunately he was the only person at home at the time, and the only way he could free himself was to saw a chunk out of the workbench, using his left hand.
Priceless!
I also liked the story about the chap who was using a motorised saw while cutting a piece of skirting board. For some reason, he decided to lift the safety guard so that he could see the pencil markings, and then brought the machine down, cutting off his hand. He needed a nine hour operation to reattach his hand, and this was then followed by four other operations.
Fantastic!
I'll be scouring the web - and keeping an ear and an ey out for more great DIY disasters!
You mind how you go now.
Harry
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