Do-it-yourself enthusiasts or those who unwrap a power tool this Christmas are being warned to actually read the instructions they come with, amid a rise in nasty injuries.

Queensland hospitals are bracing themselves for a spate of festive season emergencies, whether it be from lifting a mower, trimming hedges or lopping trees.

The Princess Alexandra Hospital sees at least one power tool injury a day, and new research is underway to understand if the disasters are freak accidents, or, if there is room for improvements.

Gold Coast architect Andrew Armstrong is happy to be the DIY disaster pin-up-boy.

The 55-year-old was cutting a piece of hardwood in his home garage a year ago when the saw "kicked".

He chopped off four fingers on his left hand.

"I did not feel it to tell you the truth," he said.

"I looked down and my fingers were gone.

"It happened it a split second."

Dr Livesay and Dr Eley (LtoR) examine a nail gun injury to a thigh, at the PA Hospital. ( ABC News: Ashleigh Stevenson )

Despite eight hours of microsurgery to re-attach the digits, they turned gangrenous and were amputated.

Mr Armstrong hoped his story will help save someone else's fingertips.

"I think most people who are do-it-your-selfers, like me, you forget about the instructions that you bought five years ago," he said.

"And every time you pull a tool out you really need to understand how to use it again."

Accident ... or not? Study underway

Mr Armstrong has joined a joint University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology study.

Lead researcher Dr Rob Eley said they wanted to interview at least 200 victims to understand how these accidents happen and discover if they are preventable.

Mr Armstrong is a passionate campaigner when it comes to DIY safety. ( ABC News: Ashleigh Stevenson )

"Because people are using tools inappropriately, whether they are not trained to use them, whether they are using them for the wrong job, or if the tools are malfunctioning," he said.

Dr Eley said DIY disasters from power tools have grown dramatically since the advent of home handyman TV shows.

Injuries can be anything from a trivial laceration to a life-threatening event.

"A nail gun to the head can be life threatening, an angle grinder to the abdominal wall can be life threatening," Dr Georgia Livesay said.

Up until now studies into these kinds of injuries have only looked at hospital admissions, rather than visits to emergency, where an estimated 75 per cent of patients actually end up.

"So we believe we have missed a significant number," Dr Eley said.

The study will combine injuries treated at both the PA Hospital and the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital.