Accidents can happen and people have to be careful when out in the garden, says Decor Gardenworld director Ginny Clark. Photo/John Borren
Accidents can happen and people have to be careful when out in the garden, says Decor Gardenworld director Ginny Clark. Photo/John Borren
Strains, cuts and falls are among the most common gardening injuries in the Bay of Plenty with more than 3000 injuries last year costing almost $2million.
Bay of Plenty people made 3132 ACC claims for gardening injuries last year. Those claims have cost $1,972,657 to date.
Figures show 2024 gardeners made claims for soft-tissue injuries, making those the most common gardening injuries suffered.
Next were lacerations, puncture wounds and stings, which 695 Bay of Plenty gardeners claimed for.
Some of the less-common injuries were burns, suffered by 31 locals last year, and concussions or brain injuries suffered by four locals.
It's just about being sensible and having the right tools for the job. Accidents do happen.
Decor Gardenworld director Ginny Clark said he did not want to put people off gardening but there were plenty of injuries to be had if people were not careful.
Straining and people putting their backs out was a common occurrence, she said.
"A lot of people don't do anything all year then they have a flurry. They will get out there and pretend like they are 21 again when they're actually 61. The next day they can't move," she said.
Slippery pavers were a hazard keen gardeners needed to be wary of, especially if the pavers had collected moss over winter.
People nicking themselves with secateurs and loppers, tripping over hoses, and overuse injuries from pruning were also other common ailments, she said.
"It's just about being sensible and having the right tools for the job. Accidents do happen," Ms Clark said.
Local VIP Home Services master franchisee Richard Logan said people undertaking their own work should know their limits and also wear safety gear such as boots and gloves.
"A lot of people aren't willing to make that investment for their home garden and they'll just duck out and do a bit of gardening and next thing they've taken a tumble," said Mr Logan.
People should consider getting professionals in to help with their gardens when there was any possibility of danger.
Older people sometimes called VIP Home Services to help out as they realised their own limits and had safety concerns, Mr Logan said.
"They get us in to clean the gutters or to do the hedges or whatever because they just no longer feel safe doing it themselves."
Nationwide there were 54,519 ACC claims for injuries related to gardening last year. Those claims were worth $36,172,401.
Again the most common claims were for soft-tissue injury, suffered by 35,121 gardeners. Lacerations, puncture wounds and stings were the next most common injuries, with 12,060 claims.
Concussion or brain injury were the causes of 73 gardening-related claims last year.
In all cases gardeners needed to be sensible about how they worked, for example, by getting help to lift things and always taking heed of the warning labels on bagged mixes and spray bottles.
