After more than 100 days in lockdown, Aucklanders can finally hit their local bar again.
We didn't just suffer from being at home for more than four months: we hurt ourselves a lot during that time too.
Popular hobbies and chores like spring gardening, riding new e-bikes, lawn mowing, running and climbing ladders to paint resulted in 113,960 accident claims by Aucklanders during last year's107-day lockdown.
ACC has exclusively provided the Herald with a list of the 11 most dangerous activities which drew the highest number of claims when the city's residents were so confined to quarters.
It revealed how the tens of thousands of tumbles, trips, cuts, sprains, falls, gashes and slips happened from August 18 till December 2 and ACC says many of the events were completely avoidable.
Learn from this list, says James Whitaker, ACC's injury prevention programme leader.
"My main takeout from this is people typically had more time to do things at home. This gave them the chance to 'have a hmmm' and to assess the risk before they got stuck into whatever they were going to do," Whitaker said, adding that ACC did not provide data with a breakdown of each individual claimant's injury.
More than 90 per cent of accidents were preventable and almost all were predictable, he says.
"Our campaign Have a hmmm is a constructive wero to Aotearoa. Take action to avoid injury and keep yourself, your whānau, friends and community safe and well," ACC says.
Around 1000 Auckland injuries were recorded on average daily during lockdown, barring us travelling outside city boundaries for all but the most essential reasons.
• 1. Home: simply being in our own abodes instead of out in the workforce resulted in the single highest number of injuries by Aucklanders: 76,217 under the category in the restricted five months.
Whitaker: "Slips, trips and falls are most common in the home. One common cause of a fall is when people stand on inappropriate things to reach heights, e.g. a dodgy three-legged stool instead of a proper stepladder. It's those kinds of things. Cuts and burns are up there as well."
It could have been burning themselves while cooking, stubbing toes while going in bare feet from desk to kitchen, perhaps falling in the shower - "We injure ourselves in a huge range of ways."
Exercise: many injured Aucklanders during the lockdown. Photo / Michael Craig
• 2. Exercise: this resulted in confined Aucklanders suffering 2558 injuries
It could be working out in a newly-constructed at-home gym, pedalling like fury on the bedroom exercycle, doing chin-ups on the kids' swings?
"A lot of people injure themselves by not doing things in the safest way. They might be over-excited and rush into it. Strains and sprains would be predominant. Use the right technique and warm up first," Whitaker said.
Gardening resulted in many injuries. Photo / Natalie Slade
• 3. Gardening: next most dangerous with 1691 accidents:
In November, the Herald reported Mitre 10 chief Andrea Scown, saying potting mix was the chain's biggest seller over the 107 days. "Growing media has been huge," she said. New Zealanders unable to travel more than 5km from their homes except for essential work or for food or petrol or health needs thought about growing things.
Whitaker: "Typically these would relate to lifting and moving things and also not using the right approach when you're bending, digging or squatting so they're lower back injuries often."
• 4. Running: 1166 locked-down Aucklanders hurting themselves while pounding the sports field, parks and pavements:
Whitaker: "A lot of these sort of injuries tend to be ankle rolls and sprains as well as damaged knees."
Lawn mowing: a major cause of injury for Aucklanders in lockdown. Photo / Ian Cooper
• 5. Lawn mowing: 554 injury claims recorded in this category.
"I'm aware of people cutting their toes off but I can't give any specific details about the injuries to Aucklanders during this timeframe," Whitaker said.
• 6. Digging: whether it be stabbing themselves in the foot with a fork or straining those couch-surfing muscles while bent double for the carrot trench, ACC listed 505 Auckland lockdown accidents under that category.
Whitaker: "The majority of injuries in this category is strains and sprains and injuries to their backs."
Painting was the cause of many lockdown injuries. Photo / 123
• 7. Painting: 214 accidents
Whitaker: "A lot of New Zealanders need to remind themselves about correct ladder use because falls are one of the main injury types at home. Make sure the ladder is sturdy and you have three points of contact. Don't go up near the top rung. Don't over-stretch."
• 8. E-scooters: more dangerous than e-bikes. E-scooters resulted in 117 claims.
Whitaker: "Typically it's people falling off them and perhaps they go too fast, too soon because they might not be used to them."
Ebikes resulted in many Aucklanders injuring themselves. Photo / Sam Gold
• 9. E-bikes: 62 claims
Many Aucklanders got new e-bikes. Whitaker: "It pays to use them in a safe, quiet space for the first time. Then, go into a busier environment once you feel comfortable. They can go about 30km/h without you even pedalling."
• 10. DIY: 38 claims
Whitaker: "Often, it's an inappropriate use of equipment including tools and ladders."
• 11. Repairs: four claims.
It could be personally identifiable information so Whitaker could not comment on these injuries.
James Whitaker of ACC. Photo / supplied
In September, the Northern Advocate reported how taking up running and overdoing sporting activities during the nationwide level 4 lockdown ended in tears for many Northlanders.
Running, walking, recreation and sport injuries topped the list of 1572 injury claims received from Northland residents between August 17 and 28.
