Survey Results Support Importance of Using Proper Personal Safety Equipment with Home Improvement Projects
To kick-off National Safety Month, the National Safety Council and 3M™ TEKK Protection™ brand today unveil the 2012 DIY Safety Survey1 to help educate homeowners about the importance of staying safe while taking on home improvement projects and repairs.
According to the DIY Safety Survey, more than one quarter (26 percent) of homeowners who have completed a DIY project reported injuries to themselves or someone else in their household during a home maintenance project. Among those who sustained personal injuries, 41 percent say they came into harms way because they weren’t wearing personal protection gear, even though what they needed was right at their fingertips.
“At the National Safety Council, we’re committed to preventing injuries and saving lives at work, on the road and in our homes and communities,” said Janet Froetscher, National Safety Council president and CEO. “During National Safety Month, we are encouraging Americans to practice safety 24/7 as nine out of ten deaths and three-quarters of all injuries occur in homes and communities”.
Surprisingly, it’s not the most challenging projects that are causing harm.
- One in two (50 percent) who were personally injured taking on a home improvement project got hurt doing basic yard maintenance
- Nearly one in four (24 percent) were put on the injured list while painting the inside of their homes
- And nearly one in five (17 percent) blame routine home maintenance projects for their injuries
Seeing is believing
When it comes to protecting themselves, nearly three out of four (72 percent) homeowners are concerned with injuring their eyes when doing home improvement projects. Yet when it comes to protecting themselves during yard maintenance projects, only 39 percent are adamant about wearing protective eyewear and 62 percent falsely believe that sunglasses will guard them from injury while doing work like mowing or weed whacking.
Protection is important to keep your eyes safe from projectiles and contaminants when working on home improvement projects like using a lawnmower, sanding, painting or fertilizing. The blade of a power mower can reach a speed of 200 miles per hour and can hurl objects just as fast, turning rocks and twigs into dangerous projectiles.3
Breathe easy
Although nearly half (49 percent) of DIYers worry about injuring their respiratory system, less than two in five (39 percent) are consistent about protecting their air ways and lungs when working on home improvement projects.
It’s important to wear a NIOSH approved respirator when tackling routine projects like clearing lawn debris, sanding walls or spraying paint.
Hear here
And when it comes to hearing protection, nearly half (47 percent) of those who work with loud or high-decibel equipment, such as lawnmowers or power tools, don’t wear any type of proper hearing protection, even though continued exposure can lead to hearing loss over the long term.2
Hearing protection is recommended for continual exposure to anything over 85 decibels. Noise levels generated by mowers and chainsaws can range from 90 - 110 decibels.3
“With 3M TEKK Protection, we’re offering homeowners proper and comfortable safety products to help ensure home maintenance projects get done safely,” said David Bierman, 3M Safety and Electrical Business Unit Manager. “With the DIY Safety Survey, we want to help people across America understand that when it comes to completing DIY projects around the home, doing it right means doing it safely.”
About 3M
3M TEKK Protection offers a full line of innovative respiratory, eyewear and hearing products designed to keep DIYers and professionals safe when completing projects around the home. 3M TEKK Protection products can be found at home improvement and hardware stores across the U.S. For additional information, go to www.3mtekk.com.
3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Our culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With $30 billion in sales, 3M employs 84,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 65 countries. For more information, visit www.3M.com or follow @3MNews on Twitter.
About The National Safety Council
Founded in 1913 and chartered by Congress, the National Safety Council (nsc.org <http://nsc.org/> ) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to save lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy. NSC advances this mission by partnering with businesses, government agencies, elected officials and the public in areas where we can make the most impact -- distracted driving, teen driving, workplace safety and safety beyond the workplace.
1 National Safety Council – DIY Safety Survey, April 2012; An online survey of 509 homeowners ages 3554 who have completed a DIY or home improvement project
2 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association & American Academy of Ophthalmology
3 Iowa State University Extension
4 Hearing Source: *© 2001-2011 Dangerous Decibels
3M and 3M TEKK Protection are trademarks of 3M.
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3M Public RelationsRobert Brittain, 651-733-7034rbrittain@mmm.comorCohn & WolfeCortney Kerans, 212-798-9764cortney.kerans@cohnwolfe.com
