North Shore Times (New Zealand)
Safety message for the DIY brigade
Thousands of New Zealanders will be looking to paint the fence, mow the lawns or get up a ladder to clean out the gutters during autumn, but figures show these activities come with a high risk of injury.
It’s common for many families to have jobs still on the summer DIY (do-it-yourself) list and for people to try to get them sorted before winter sets in.
In 2022, ACC accepted 19,300 DIY injury claims. These injuries came at a cost of $30 million to help people recover. This was the highest cost over the past five years.
ACC injury prevention leader James Whitaker encourages people to take a moment to assess the risks of injury before launching into your DIY project.
‘‘No-one wants to start doing a DIY job and then end up in accident and emergency with an injury,’’ says Whitaker.
‘‘We know that many people will use this time as an opportunity to do some odd jobs around the house and garden. We’re challenging people to ‘Have a Hmmm’ before they start their DIY project.’’
Sarah Payne knows what it’s like to suffer a serious DIY injury. In 2017, the 41-year-old had a horrific hand injury when her family was moving house north of Auckland.
‘‘My ring got caught in the cage on top of the trailer,’’ she says.
Payne degloved her wedding ring finger from the first to the second knuckle. She later had the finger amputated.
‘‘All I could see was white, from the bone being exposed with all of the skin taken off.’’
Payne has simple advice for anyone working around their house or doing DIY.
‘‘If you’re working outside and you are wearing rings, take them off or if you can’t, then wear gloves. It’s a huge risk to your hands,’’ she says. ‘‘Slow down. Everyone thinks we have to go at life at a 100 miles per hour and yes, we always have so much to do. But life is not the destination, it is the journey.
You have got to enjoy it.’’
Whitaker says: ‘‘Our top tip for DIY safety is to slow down.’’.
Most of the injuries were softtissue injuries (11,181) followed by laceration/puncture/sting injuries (4846), ahead of foreign body in orifice/eye (1279) and fracture/dislocation (582).
The most common parts of the body hurt in DIY injuries in 2022 were back/spine (3557) and finger/thumb (3098) ahead of shoulder (1856) hand/wrist (1768) and eye (1615).
The leading age groups for DIY injuries in 2022 were the 65 and older age group (4848) ahead of the 50-54 age group (2077) and the 55-59 (1953).
Men were around three times more likely to hurt themselves in a DIY injury than women.
OPINION: Ideally, I’d drink a daily coffee, spontaneously make Sunday roasts, and do some light retail shopping whenever the need arises. But at the moment, that’s not a reality.
If, like me, your bank balance has been forever on double digits it’s time to look the cost of living in the eye and make a plan to beat it.
It all starts at the supermarket (my receipts are shrinking), and organisation is key.
Decide exactly what you’ll eat for the week – including your work snacks – because extra spending will happen if your hangry self has an eftpos card in arm’s reach. Neighbourly members are mentioning apps such as Grocer to easily compare prices of popular products before hitting the store. You might sacrifice a few niceties but hopefully a little extra cash in your pocket is a good trade-off.
Growing your staple fruit and vegetables is the ideal, but also eating seasonally from fruit and vege stores is a great way to keep costs down.
Ingredient-wise, buy nonperishable freezer or pantry items that are versatile and can bulk out your meals – yes, I’m talking about chucking in some frozen veges, rice, canned beans, potatoes, and lentils to those mince dishes.
What about clothes? Head to the op shop. SPCA and Red Cross shops tend to be the cheapest. It’s not all faded jeans and slogan
T-shirts either; sometimes illfitting clothes are discarded so there really are some bargains to be had.
Transport is a great way to keep your money to yourself. Dust off your bike or scooter and save the environment while you’re at it.
Alternatively, make the most of the current half-price public transport and catch the bus; it’s satisfying beating the traffic (plus you can nestle into a good book).
And house costs? Use that washing line while the sun shines and make sure your dishwasher is full before you put it on. Some energy companies have off-peak and on-peak rates so make a plan for when you use your appliances.
How about making money? You could sell some of your neglected household items, but also Neighbourly members often rent or hire out items around the home – the most popular being lawnmowers, sewing machines, garden tools and musical instruments. If you have an extra room, you might consider renting it out to a student or someone needing office space.
And lastly, don’t forget that even the savviest of savers need treats – think free community events and local markets. Trade $20 burgers for cheap pizza and rice bowls, and utilise GrabOne or First Table to ensure you get to enjoy the ambience of eating out. Give it two weeks of savings and see if you’re any better off – we will get through this, whā nau!