Sand, sunscreen and flip flops keep ACC busy

Rusty nails piercing jandals, allergic reactions to sunscreen, sand in the eyes, slips on spilled ice creams, collapsing deck chairs, burns from the barbie, and pulled muscles from playing backyard cricket.

These are just some of the 'seasonal' mishaps that led to ACC injury claims last summer.

A total of 439,878 claims were received between 1 December 2012 and 28 February 2013.

That put summer slightly ahead of winter (435,125 claims) and spring (420,690 claims) but trailing autumn (468,648 claims) as the most 'injurious' season last year.

ACC Injury Prevention Programme Manager, Megan Nagel, says there are always small numbers of claims each year that have a distinctively seasonal flavour.

"Beach-related injuries tend to be more frequent in summer, as you'd expect, while injuries caused by heaters are more common in winter."

However, other types of injuries occur constantly throughout the year.

"Falls in the home are the number one cause of injuries in New Zealand, regardless of what time of year it is."

Ms Nagel's advice to Kiwis wanting to see out the rest of this summer safely therefore includes a mix of seasonal and 'year round' injury prevention tips.

"Summer can be a popular time for socialising and outside DIY, so we remind people to be responsible hosts if serving alcohol, and pay attention to safety when using things like power tools and ladders."

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Sand, sunscreen and flip flops keep ACC busy