With school holidays signaling the beginning of the Easter break, DIY enthusiasts are already looking forward to the traditional start of the home decorating season. This year we are in for a bumper decorating run with the Royal Wedding/Spring double bank holiday weekend following straight on from the Easter break the week before.
Of course, DIY does have its dark side, and whilst enthusiasts are stocking up on tins of paint, wallpaper, and plaster filler, the casualty departments are bracing themselves for a run of decorating injuries.
Let’s start with eye protection. The most common eye problems come from flying debris with dust, bits of bricks, and wood splinters all taking to the air when grinders, drills, and other power equipment are used enthusiastically. Following on, come the spilling of liquid into the eye with unsecured paint and other substances being knocked from ladders and high surfaces. With more than 30,000 eye injuries a year the best advice is to use protective goggles. When using liquids, check the containers before you start for advice on what to do in the case of spills and make sure that quantities of water are easily available for emergency rinsing of eyes
Before starting your DIY, clear all possible dangers out of the way. This includes trailing wires, pets, and children. Make sure that the household knows that you are going to start decorating and that they should stay out of the area until being given permission to come in. This helps to cut down on children and pets bounding around and knocking you off a ladder or spilling chemicals.