Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Caution urged as ACC claims peak during Covid 2020 lockdown

Covid-19 lockdowns are proving to be a challenge of a different kind for Kiwis, with ACC injury claims spiking last year - and women are most likely to hurt themselves.

However, although women are getting hurt, it's the claims filed by men that make up a higher proportion of the $5.6 billion injury cost over the past five years, new data from ACC reveals.

Falling is the most common way to get injured at home, with Kiwis filing 1.6 million new claims over the past five years, and 338,000 in 2020 alone - the highest part in that five year period.

Suffering a fall was followed by lifting or carrying, interacting with animals, gardening and getting a puncture or cut.

ACC is now urging people to stop and think before carrying out maintenance or getting in the garden during this lockdown as the statistics showed that was when we're most likely to injure ourselves.

ACC accepted 4.9 million claims for injuries around the home between 2016 and 2020, head of injury prevention Isaac Carlson says.

"In 2020, there were just over one million claims accepted, which came at a cost of $1.4 billion to help people recover, an increase of $143 million from 2019.

"The cost and the number of home injuries in 2020 was the highest in the past five years."

And it's older people, more than the young, who were most likely to file an injury claim.

Between 2016 and 2020, the 50-59 year age group is the highest with 688,210 claims, followed by 0-9 with 631,140 claims.

For 2020, it was again the 50-59-year-olds the highest - 142,561, followed by 40 to 49 year olds, 126,710 claims.

Tripping over toys, wiping up spills, safely interacting with animals and noticing hazards were all common issues for people around the home.

Since Covid hit New Zealand, Carlson said they wanted people to have fun at home but also be aware of the dangers.

"Every day ACC receives around 5000 claims. That's 5000 families and communities impacted by injury every day.

"The home is the most likely place for New Zealanders to get injured."

Carlson recognised it's a challenging time for many New Zealanders but stressed the importance of keeping safe during lockdown.

"We know it's chaos for many families out there," he says. "Trying to work from home and manage a family during a lockdown is not an easy time so we all need to acknowledge that.

"But it's important to think about risk during this period so we can all keep safe and avoid preventable injuries."

On average, one in five New Zealanders will injure themselves in their home every year, which is a statistic that ACC wants to change.

The ACC injury top seven

2016 to 2020

1 - Falls - 0-9-year-olds most common age group

2 - Lifting and carrying - 30-39-year-olds most common age group

3 - Animal-related - 0-9-year-olds most common age group

4 - Gardening - 60-69-year-olds most common age group

5 - Punctures and cuts - 0-9-year-olds most common age group

6 - Twisting movement - 50-59-year-olds most common age group

7 - Collision/knocked over - 0-9-year-olds most common age group

ACC INJURY COSTS 2016 TO 2020

New Zealand

· Total accepted claims – 4.9 million

· Total cost of these claims - $5.6 billion

· Claims in 2020 – 1,008,073 - the highest in the past five years

· Cost of these claims in 2020 - $1.4 billion - the highest in the past five years

Auckland

· Total accepted claims – 1.7 million

· Total cost of these claims - $1.7 billion

· Claims in 2020 – 335,554 ( 2019 - 338,961)

· Cost of these claims in 2020 - $414 million - the highest in the past five years

Waikato

· Total accepted claims - 542,613

· Total cost of these claims - $603 million

· Claims in 2020 - 111,403 (111,451 in 2019)

· Cost of these claims in 2020 - $144 million - the highest in the past five years

Bay of Plenty

· Total accepted claims – 364,336

· Total cost of these claims - $382 million

· Claims in 2020 – 75,159 - the highest in the past five years

· Cost of these claims in 2020 - $96 million - the highest in the past five years

Manawatu/Wanganui

· Total accepted claims – 232,310

· Total cost of these claims - $279 million

· Claims in 2020 – 49,309 - the highest in the past five years

· Cost of these claims in 2020 - $68 million - the highest in the past five years

Wellington

· Total accepted claims – 390,048

· Total cost of these claims - $435 million

· Claims in 2020 – 78,262 - the highest since 2018

· Cost of these claims in 2020 - $104 million - the highest in the past five years

Canterbury

· Total accepted claims – 551,076

· Total cost of these claims - $672 million

· Claims in 2020 – 118,260 - the highest in the past five years

· Cost of these claims in 2020 – $171 million - the highest in the past five years

Otago

· Total accepted claims – 227,058

· Total cost of these claims - $275 million

· Claims in 2020 – 48,316 - the highest in the past five years

· Cost of these claims in 2020 – $69 million - the highest in the past five years