DIYsolation: your DIY safety guide

When the nation stayed at home during the pandemic, people spent more time on DIY than ever before.

Whether as a means of combating boredom, or just finally having the time to get household tasks done, there was a surge in people renovating their spaces.

While some in the UK painted walls and assembled furniture, others took more drastic approaches to their refurbishments. From knocking down walls to rewiring sockets, many attempted more challenging DIY tasks themselves, with skilled tradespeople unable to help due to lockdown restrictions.

As tempting as it is to ‘do it yourself’, be mindful that you might end up doing more harm than good. Your DIY project could quite easily go wrong and damage the structure or electricals of your house. Worse still, you may end up injured – with both potentially impacting your home insurance premiums.

Safety tips

So, how can you renovate your home safely? Here's our advice:

• ensure your workplace is clean and well-organised
• consider the risks to other family members, keeping children and pets away from tools
• be mindful of working until late at night, as this could annoy your neighbours
• wear protective clothing and take care when wearing jewellery
• make sure you have a well-stocked first aid kit in case of an accident
• take your time and don’t rush what you’re doing
• when the job’s done, make sure you store your tools away safely and securely