{"id":2818,"date":"2023-09-29T12:17:52","date_gmt":"2023-09-28T23:17:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/queenstownphysiotherapy.com\/?p=2818"},"modified":"2023-09-29T12:19:19","modified_gmt":"2023-09-28T23:19:19","slug":"cutting-back-on-lawnmower-injuries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/queenstownphysiotherapy.com\/cutting-back-on-lawnmower-injuries\/","title":{"rendered":"Cutting back on lawnmower injuries"},"content":{"rendered":"
Published on https:\/\/www.acc.co.nz\/newsroom\/stories\u00a0 22 September 2023<\/p>\n
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The smell of freshly-cut grass is one of the classic senses of spring, but ACC is challenging all New Zealanders to be safe when they pull their lawnmower out of the shed.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n ACC accepted 6,922 lawnmowing-related injuries in 2022 \u2013 the highest number of claims since 2019.\u00a0 These injuries came at a cost of $12.6 million to help people recover.<\/p>\n ACC injury prevention leader James Whitaker says it feels great to get the lawns done so you\u2019re free to do other things, but he encourages people to slow down to consider the risks of injury.<\/p>\n \u201cOur data shows injuries are more likely to happen at our homes than anywhere else,\u201d James says.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one wants to start their weekend getting ready to mow the lawns or do a DIY job and then end up in accident and emergency with an injury.<\/p>\n \u201cThe good news is these injuries are preventable. You can stop them from happening if you take a moment to consider the risks before you get stuck in.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In Aotearoa, the grass grows fastest during the spring months, and this is reflected in the injury data.<\/p>\n In August 2022, ACC accepted 423 lawnmowing-related injury claims and these increased throughout the months of spring \u2013 September (550), October (690) and November (839).<\/p>\n The leading regions for lawnmowing injuries in 2022 were Auckland (1,986), Waikato (932), Canterbury (693) and Northland (493).<\/p>\n Last year, males (4,540) were almost twice as likely to suffer a lawnmowing injury compared to females (2,382).<\/p>\n The most common types of injury were mostly soft tissue Injuries (5,334), ahead of laceration\/puncture\/sting (915) and fracture\/dislocation (154).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Alongside lawnmowing injuries, ACC accepted 19,300 DIY injury claims in 2022. These injuries came at a cost of $30 million to help people recover. This was the highest cost over the past five years.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know many people will use spring as an opportunity to do some odd jobs around the house and garden,\u201d James says.<\/p>\n \u201cOur top tip for a safe DIY project is to slow down.\u00a0 Many accidents in the home happen simply because people are rushing and not thinking about what they\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want everyone to have that satisfaction of completing their DIY project and also be injury free so they can enjoy their time with their wh\u0101nau.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\nLawnmowing injuries by the numbers<\/h2>\n
‘Have a Hmmm’ before you get stuck into DIY<\/h2>\n
Five things before you mow your lawn<\/h2>\n
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