Check Your DI Before You DIY

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Check Your DI Before You DIY

August 25, 2020 Leave a commentDisability Causes, Disability Insurance, Facts, Facts, Finance, Health and Wellness, Millennials, Protect Your IncomeBy The Council for Disability Awareness

Have you found yourself taking on a Do-It-Yourself project lately? Whether you’re painting a wall, replacing a kitchen counter top, or repairing the deck outside, you’re not alone. Millions of people working at home these days have started DIY projects.

Empty lumber shelves and back-orders for appliances in local and big box stores nationwide say it all. Who would have guessed that today, wood products like plywood and lumber are the hottest commodity in America – ahead of gold and oil futures.

Also skyrocketing are visits to quick care medical sites and hospital emergency rooms. Falls from ladders, eye injuries, and power tool accidents lead the lists of DIY accidents.

And Millennials lead the DIY home improvement emergency room visits. They’re 119% more likely to be injured by a power tool and 46% more likely to need stitches from a DIY project than Boomers. Every year, ERs report 120,000 visits for injuries caused by tool accidents. But leading the ER reports are 200,000 visits for eye injuries.

For some reason, many thousands of otherwise smart people choose not to wear safety glasses when working around the house. Wood and drywall dust, metal bits, solvents and splinters can easily cause eye infections and in some cases, even punctures. In addition to wearing safety glasses, it’s important to not touch your face until you’ve washed your hands, which may have dust or chemicals on them.

Unfortunately, the chances that you’ll suffer an injury from a DIY project are high. Every 10 minutes, over 800 Americans suffer an injury requiring medical help.

So, what can you do to protect yourself? First, make sure you have DI – Disability Insurance – before you DIY.

Accidents outside of the workplace aren’t covered by Workers’ Compensation. But most disability insurance plans provide up to 60 percent of your income if you’re out of work for months. That can help you cover mortgage payments and much more. Unfortunately, over 51-million working adult Americans do not have disability insurance other than basic and limited Social Security.

So before you grab the electric drill or power sander, or put a ladder up to paint a bedroom wall, check with your employer or insurance agent to make sure you have DI. Then put on your safety glasses and start that home improvement project you’ve always wanted to do.