So the weekend is nearly upon us and plans are being made. Believe it or not, the number of spare weekends are running out before family members descend for the Christmas hols. So the pressure is on to re-decorate, put up the new shelves, or build that flat-pack cabinet that’s been languishing in the corner of the garage.
Hopefully, you’ll have better luck than a friend of ours who recently managed to drill through the hot water pipe at the end of a major bathroom refurb. In a scene somewhat reminiscent of Tom & Jerry cartoons, he was seen frantically putting his thumb over squirting water jets whilst his partner located the stopcock. Fair play to them both though, the finished article is a fantastic job!
Over the last few years we have increasingly found our weekends and free time taken up with DIY and efforts to improve our homes. Trips to IKEA and DIY superstores have become the national pastime. Did you know that nearly half of all adults have tried to assemble some flat pack furniture over the last 2 years?
We all know just how frustrating it can be trying to put them together, from instructions written in gobbledegook to discovering at the last minute that panel ‘Z’ doesn’t quite fit where it should and you are left with three left over screws and a weird-looking bracket. Apparently these problems are not the only ones we face – accidents also happen rather too frequently.
A recent study carried out by University of Derby estimated that 1.8 million adults had been injured while carrying out DIY in the home last year, with tens of thousands requiring outside medical treatment. That’s a lot of cut fingers, bashed thumbs and bookcases dropped on toes!
So when did you last look at your home first aid kit? Do you know what’s in it and how long it’s been in there? Chances are, last time you did was when you hurt yourself doing DIY last year, when you used the last of the bandages to avoid dripping blood on the new carpet.
Take a moment or two out of your busy lives to check your first aid kit for plasters and bandages before you embark on another project. You never know when you might need it! If you’re not sure you’d know how to use the stuff then perhaps it’s time to refresh those skills.
