DIY Can Mean a Trip to the ER..or Worse…

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http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-06-28-diy-injuries_N.htm?csp=34

“By Jillian Berman, USA TODAY
Cash-strapped homeowners are trying to cut costs by replacing the kitchen floor or fixing a pipe themselves rather than hiring a contractor. But some are ending up with a trip to the emergency room instead.
Nick Jouriles, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians, says he has seen an increase in injuries from do-it-yourself projects in the past year, and he says it’s probably the result of homeowners trying to save money in a struggling economy.

A member poll by Angie’s List, a website featuring user reviews of contractors, found that 83% of respondents choose to do projects themselves so they can save money. But often the savings can be lost when a homeowner is forced to hire someone to redo the job or ends up in the emergency room.

Members of the website have reported injuries ranging from being hit in the eye by a falling hammer to slicing off half a thumb with a carpet cutter.

One Angie’s List member, Matt Taylor, reported that a surgeon had to use pliers to pull a nail out of his arm after he accidentally shot himself with a nail gun while framing a pocket door.

No organization tracks do-it-yourself injuries, but anecdotes are rolling in:

• Jouriles, an Akron-based emergency physician, says he saw a patient just last week who fell off a ladder while fixing his roof. The patient told him he should have hired someone to do the job, but he was trying to cut costs.

• Arlo Weltge, an emergency room physician in Houston and spokesman for the emergency-physicians organization, says he sees injured do-it-yourselfers in the emergency room “all the time.” He says he has even seen someone die from a brain injury after falling off a ladder while cleaning the gutter.

“A lot of these things are well-intentioned and not necessarily difficult, but unfortunately we see a lot of these,” he says.

• Jennifer Hussey, an Angie’s List member based in San Antonio, was almost blinded while trying to fix something on Mother’s Day weekend. She was hit in the eye when the hammer she was using to remove molding fell from a 10-foot ladder.

Todd Taylor, a physician working for Microsoft in Tennessee, opted to make some roof repairs a few years ago. The former emergency room doctor ended up with two broken legs and had to use a wheelchair for two months after falling from a ladder.

Jacqueline Agnew, director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s education research center, says homeowners should consider the risks before starting a project.

“There’s no cost saving that’s going to make it worth risking a serious disability,” she says.

Paul Zuch, president-elect of the National Association for the Remodeling Industry, says hiring a contractor can be a safer bet because it gives homeowners someone to blame if something goes wrong.

“They kind of shift the onus back to themselves when they take on these projects,” he says.”

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I never had a stitch or a broken bone prior to my 25+ year career as a building contractor.

Even as a building professional and very life safety minded, I averaged at least 1 trip to the ER each year and at least 1 trip to my private physician to be treated for everything from a dog bite received from a customer’s pet to cortisone injections for tendontis in my shoulder from swinging a hammer all day.

During my 25 year career as a professional builder I’ve:

-amputated or partially amputated 4 fingers.

-received over 100 stitches

-broken about 12 bones

-shot myself 4 times with a nail gun

-Been to the ER to have foreign objects removed from my eyes 3 times

-Been to the ER because I stepped on nails 3 times

-Had surgery to remove a splinter that impaled another finger…

-Torn my achilles tendon from too much time standing on ladders

-Sprained my ankle twice on the job

-Developed arthritis in my fingers and hands (in part) from having whacked them too many times with a hammer

-Suffering burns and scarring from 240V electrical shocks

-Developed serious allergic reactions to fiberglass insulation that required medical treatment about 18 times

-Fell off ladders and was badly bruised twice.

-Suffered chemical burns from concrete that needed medical treatment twice

-Strained my back and other muscles that resulted in the loss of work time and $$ more times than I can count…

….And I count myself lucky.

I’ve had employees who:

-fractured their skulls

-dislocated shoulders

-got serious infections from cuts

-broke a wrist when the drill they were operating ‘jammed’ then kicked back on them….

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DIY Construction and Remodeling is made to look FAR TOO EASY on TV, and the false ‘lure’ that money can be “made” or “saved” by DIYers has permanently disabled some and killed others.

In other cases, it was not one’s body that was damaged beyond repair…but one’s home….

Like the fellow who tried to sweat pipe and burned his house to the ground…

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The BOTTOM LINE is construction and remodeling if fraught with danger…even in its most mundane aspect.

And MORE thought should be given to the process by homeowners BEFORE they think they can tackle even the simplest jobs.

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I’m all for DIY projects to save a buck.

Just count the REAL “COST” before you blindly begin.

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BE Smart.

BE SAFE.

[Bruno1949]

screen door to fit the front door. I’ll admit to having had a couple of adult beverages, so that wasn’t smart. Out feed roller assembly fell over and door shifted. Left thumb went through the table saw. I screamed and barely remember the trip to the hospital. Thumb was still there but only barely. I cut through the knuckle to the upper layer of skin. 5 hours of micro surgery and 6 months of physical therapy gave me back a functional but pretty numb thumb.

The odd thing was that they had to quit treating me to take care of another DIY guy. He had a 3/8″ drill stuck in his chest. Apparently the drill caught in his T-shirt and wrapped his finger onto the trigger. The drill stopped when he fell off the ladder and tore the power cord off. The bit missed his heart but he had a collapsed lung and he was going to have one heck of a story to tell about that scar on his chest.

The number of holes, scars, and stitches from DIY projects is unknown, but big! The medical costs could have paid for my Painted Lady Victorian, that’s for sure!

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