Take care Kiwis … our most ‘injurious’ day is almost upon us

Take care Kiwis … our most ‘injurious’ day is almost upon us

Julius Caesar was warned to beware the “Ides of March”. And perhaps Kiwis should take extra caution this Sunday.

That’s because April the 13th last year was the day on which the highest number of injuries happened during 2013.

A total of 8,067 ACC claims were lodged for injuries sustained on 13 April – a whopping 5,506 more than the day with the lowest number of injuries, Christmas Day, which led to just 2,561 claims.

ACC’s Head of Injury Prevention and Insurance Products, David Simpson, says there’s no easily identifiable reason why April the thirteenth proved so injurious last year.

“As these statistics show, daily claims volumes can fluctuate quite markedly. Unless there’s a major injury event, such as the February earthquake in Canterbury in 2011, it’s impossible to attribute a spike in claims to a single cause.”

Around 12,000 claims were received for injuries that happened on 22 February 2011, with over 6,000 linked to the earthquake.

On average, ACC receives around 4,600 claims per day, and around 1.7 million claims per year.

Mr Simpson says being aware of common hazards that can cause injuries is a good first line of defence for Kiwis wanting to avoid injuries this Sunday.

“It’s a Sunday, so a lot of us will be at home or taking part in sport or recreational activities.”

Simple tips to help avoid home injuries, most of which result from falls, include:

mop up spills as soon as they happen
fasten loose mats and rugs to the floor
replace blown light bulbs so you can see in the dark
run electrical cords along walls, not across the floor
clear toys and clutter from walkways.
Some tips to help avoid sport and recreational related injuries include:

· warm up and cool down

· wear high vis gear if walking/running/cycling on or near the road, especially in poor light/darkness

· be alert to changing weather conditions – watch out for slippery conditions underfoot, and take appropriate gear if you’ll be outside for some time.

The five most ‘injurious’ days in 2013, in order, were:

13 April 8,067 claims
6 April 8,024 claims
11 May 7,988 claims
18 May 7,757 claims
8 June 7,732 claims.
Interestingly, while the months of April, May and June contained the most ‘injurious’ days last year, the month with the most injuries overall was March with 166,349 claims, well ahead of February and May, which were neck and neck with 152,564 and 152,222 claims respectively.

ENDS

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