Monday (26th August) is the last bank holiday before Christmas, and in typical British style, the long weekend will see a surge of DIY and home improvements taking place in properties up and down the country. But with DIY comes danger, and leading electrical body, NICEIC, is urging homeowners to leave electrical work to the professionals – or risk serious safety implications.
Each summer, the late August bank holiday is the preferred time for Brits to take on some much-needed home improvements, giving their home a new lease of life before the darker nights of autumn set in. Yet, dabbling in DIY as opposed to calling in a professional, has been shown to come at a cost.
Research by NICEIC revealed that the average DIY blunder cost a whopping £1,165 to fix1, as botched jobs result in the need to call in a professional. But it’s not just the costly consequences that are cause for concern. There are huge safety implications, with bank holiday’s being the prime time for electrical mishaps which can result in dangerous fires, serious electric shocks, and in worst case scenarios, fatalities.
Each year around 12,500 house fires, 750 serious injuries and 10 deaths are caused by unsafe electrics. According to Electrical Safety First, almost half of all electric shocks described as severe are the result of a DIY error. You can search for a registered electrician in your area by visiting www.niceic.com