Qld Office Fair Trading product safety expert, Dave Strachan, today urged home mechanics not to be jackasses ahead of a nationwide do-it-yourself safety campaign.
Mr Strachan said car jacks and trolleys were emerging as a deadly danger to home mechanics with more than 160 people injured each year in Australia and at least 46 people killed in the last decade.
“DIY is back in vogue and with the increase in people doing their own home and car repairs comes an increase in injuries,” he said.
“Research shows around 160 Australians suffer jack related injuries each year ranging from crush injuries and fractures to amputation or death.
“To help prevent these types of injuries the Qld Office of Fair Trading has produced a free safety video for home mechanics.
“Don’t be a jackass – an anti-manual for using a car jack covers the basic do’s and don’ts of lifting cars. It may sound simple, but that little bit of know-how will save lives.”
According to the Queensland Injury Surveillance Unit, between 2001 and 2010, more than 258 people attended Queensland emergency departments with jack related injuries. Some of them as young as nine years old.
More than half the injuries occurred to males between 20 and 39 years of age with contact with moving objects and crush injuries topping the list.
“When lifting a car, it’s not as simple as grabbing a jack or backing the car onto a ramp. There is a multitude of jacks and other lifting equipment specifically designed for different purposes,” said Mr Strachan.
“It is vitally important people use the right lifting equipment for the job, and use it properly.”
Mr Strachan warned it was also important that people checked the equipment they were using met Australian Standards.
“The ACCC recently released results of a joint nationwide product safety surveillance operation that included a focus on car jacks,” he said.
“During the operation the ACCC and its state and territory counterparts removed more than 70 000 jacks that failed to meet Australian Standards.”
“While the government is clearly working hard to prevent these types of injuries, people need to be vigilant and safety conscious when working on their car.”
Mr Strachan said the video formed part of a joint 12 month campaign with the ACCC and other states and territories to reduce preventable injuries to Australian DIY-ers.
“The first leg of the campaign is targeted at home mechanics, but other DIY areas will follow,” he said.
For more information on the DIY campaign or for a copy of the video visit www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au
Contact details
Department of Justice and Attorney-General
Queensland Office of Fair Trading - Media contact: Vanessa Kendall 3247 5970
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More information is available for suppliers from www.productsafety.gov.au/dontbeajackass