Falls take out top spot for ACC claims in Rotorua

Injuries from falls cost about $4 million in Rotorua each year.

Rotorua Hospital emergency department head Dr Mazen Shasha said many fall victims were elderly people or babies.

"Falls by elderly people are often due to slips and [a] good number happen in bathrooms," he said. "Babies usually fall from a chair, or slip from a bed or couch or fall while being carried by a young relative."

ACC figures show about 26,000 Rotorua injury claims were lodged last year, about 5300 of which related to people who had lost their balance and fallen over.

In total, injuries in Rotorua cost ACC about $17 million last year.

Dr Shasha said it was also common to see patients who had accidentally ingested drugs or been hurt by another person.

"People need to take care and there are a number of things that people can do in their home to make themselves less accident prone.

"Special care needs to [be] taken with the storage of poisons, detergents and the like in a safe place where youngsters cannot reach them," he said.

Last week was national Home Safety Action Week.

ACC general manager of insurance and prevention services John Beaglehole said the cost of all injuries nationwide was about $10.4 billion each year.

"This includes the social and economic cost," he said,

"It's easy to lose sight of the fact that if someone is seriously injured, that's a massive impact not only on them, but also on their family."

About 1.5 million new injury claims were lodged with ACC annually, Mr Beaglehole said.

"We think about 1800 people die from injuries every year and about 8500 people are seriously injured."

Mr Beaglehole warned that Kiwis needed a more serious approach to safe-proofing their homes and workplaces.

"New Zealanders have a tendency of 'she'll be right, we'll do it this way' and initiative and drive are great things.

"But there are some simple things we can all do to make ourselves safer," he said.

More than 280,000 claims relating to falls in homes were made to ACC last year.

Mr Beaglehole said 2500 related to people in the 25- to 64-year age group who took at least three months off work.

"If you're off work for three months, that's a really significant injury.

"But, if you go from being someone who takes the bus to work to someone who needs a wheelchair to get around - that's an enormous change to how you operate ... and how your family operates and the amount of support and care you need."

This week, about 700 international experts are attending an injury prevention conference in Wellington. The Safety 2012 conference is co-sponsored by the World Health Organisation.

ACC has also launched a campaign promoting simple tips to make homes safer. These include securing power cords, fastening rugs and mats and wiping up spills.