Home more deadly than workplace or roadway

At a media event in a Grey Lynn home yesterday, ACC showed re-enactments of common household accidents. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Almost 12 people a week are being killed by accidents in their own homes, new ACC figures show.

The statistics, released to launch Safety NZ Week, show 621 people died after domestic accidents last year, more than the number of road and workplace deaths combined.

A total of 632,920 - 1734 people a day - were injured in their homes last year, 30,000 fewer than in 2008.

And alcohol was a factor in a quarter of all claims filed with ACC.

ACC general manager Keith McLea said consuming alcohol made people particularly vulnerable to falls.

"New Zealanders should be aware that drinking alcohol significantly increases your risk of being injured. As 70 per cent of drinking occasions happen at home, it's fair to assume that alcohol contributes to a significant number of home injuries."

Homes in Auckland City would appear to be the most dangerous, with almost a quarter - 146 - of deaths and 128,427 injuries reported last year. Manukau City and Invercargill had the lowest home accident ACC claims, with one in 14 residents suffering injuries.

At a media event in a Grey Lynn home yesterday, ACC showed re-enactments of common household accidents.

In one dramatisation, a woman tripped over a heater cord and smashed through a glass coffee table. In others, householders fell from ladders, tripped down stairs and slipped in the shower. A child was burned after tipping a pot of boiling water over himself.

Mr McLea said that although it was pleasing to see accident numbers decreasing, the number of deaths in the home was still a worry, with 17 more last year than in 2008.

"Twelve New Zealanders are losing their lives every week as a result of accidents they have at home and many more are being seriously injured.

"The reality is, something as simple as remembering to flick the light switch on when you use the stairs can help you avoid a fall.

"Home accidents take an incredible toll on families and friends, workplaces and communities and they are costing us all.

"Last year New Zealanders paid out $622 million through their ACC levies for the treatment and rehabilitation of people injured in the home."