Take time with your DIY
The warm weather isn’t quite over yet so there’s still time to finish off your summer DIY projects. But be sure to ‘have a hmmm’ and find the safest way – we accepted nearly 20,000 claims for DIY injuries last year.
Summer may be winding down but there’s no need to panic if you haven’t ticked everything off your DIY list.
Autumn can also serve up some of the best weather of the year so it’s a great chance to nail a few jobs around the house, says ACC Injury Prevention Leader James Whitaker.
“Long, sunny days continue well into the season, so it’s still a perfect time to complete those outstanding DIY projects,” he says.
“If you remember to take a moment to assess risks before starting, you can stay injury free and get the job done.”
In 2024, ACC accepted around 19,500 DIY injury claims. These injuries came at a cost of $41 million to help people recover. This was the highest cost over the past five years.
“These injuries don’t just affect the injured person – there are flow on effects for their family, friends and workmates,” James says.
“You might not be able to be as involved with your kids or grandchildren, and your workmates may need to take on some of the tasks you otherwise might’ve done”.
Our data shows DIY activities have a relatively high risk of injury. But the good news is that most injuries are predictable – and therefore preventable.
Taking time to ‘have a hmmm’ before acting can be the difference.
“Our top DIY tip is to slow down,” James says.
“Many injuries in the home happen because people are rushing. These injuries can be prevented by simply slowing down and stopping to assess the risks.
“If you’re a keen DIYer, we’d love for you to stop and ‘have a hmmm’, before you get stuck in.”
DIY injuries by the numbers
The top regions for DIY injuries in 2024 were Auckland (5,711), Waikato (2,218), Canterbury (2,184), Bay of Plenty (1,644), Wellington (1,428), Northland (1,294) and Otago (964).
The cost to help people in these regions recover from DIY injuries was $12 million in the Auckland region, $4.7 million (Waikato), $5.2 million (Canterbury), $3.7 million (Bay of Plenty), $2.9 million (Wellington), $2.8 million (Northland) and $2.5 million (Otago).
Most of the injuries were soft-tissue injuries (11,567), followed by laceration/puncture/sting injuries (4,447), foreign body in orifice/eye (1,281) and fracture/dislocation (677).
The three most prevalent prior activities to sustaining a DIY injury last year were using/operating (not machine) injuries (4,221), lifting/lowering/loading/unloading (3,921) and operating machine (1,266).
The leading age groups for DIY injuries in 2024 were the 50 to 54 age group (1,954), just ahead of 60 to 64 (1,953) and 55 to 59 (1,898).
Men were around three times more likely to hurt themselves in a DIY injury than women, with 14,769 accepted claims in 2024, compared to 4,693 by women.
“We want New Zealanders to have that satisfaction of completing DIY jobs around their home but to stay safe, and injury free, in the process,” James says.
Partnering with construction industry to stay safe
To help both DIYers and professional tradespeople stay safe, ACC has partnered with Construction Health and Safety New Zealand (CHASNZ) to create a series of ‘have a hmmm’ videos.
“The tips provide tradies with simple suggestions to follow to have long, productive and pain-free careers in construction,” James says.
“These tips serve as a reminder for those working in the construction sector, as well as DIYers looking to learn from the pros.”
You can check out our helpful construction tips on the ACC YouTube channel.
You can also get injury prevention tips to suit your lifestyle on the ACC website.
Injury prevention tips to suit your lifestyle
Top tips for DIY safety
- Many accidents in the home happen because people are rushing. Slow down and stop to assess the risks.
- Use all the recommended safety gear and keep it close to your tools. This includes hard-toed shoes, protective eyewear and earmuffs.
- Keep children in mind. Make sure someone is supervising the kids, and keep tools and sharp objects out of reach.
- Find better ways to lift and carry things (like using a wheelbarrow instead of taking the weight yourself).
- Get work off the ground and place it on a table – this reduces the need to bend over.
- Use extension poles and/or step ladders to reduce overhead work and avoid over-extending your neck.
- If you’re getting up on a ladder, make sure it’s strong and in good condition. Use it on a firm, even surface. Avoid the top rungs and keep three points of contact on ladders, for example two feet and a hand. It also pays to avoid over-reaching – get down from the ladder and move it across instead.
- Painting the deck or re-finishing furniture? Make sure you’re keeping paints, sprays, chemicals and solvents with the lids on when you’re not using them, and they’re not within kids’ reach.
