Puddle slapstick best left to professionals

Media Release
5 October 2012

Puddle slapstick best left to professionals

While everyone enjoys watching Charlie Chaplin slip, trip and fall on the big screen, it’s not so comical when your own slapstick impression involves slipping in an innocent puddle and breaking your leg.

It’s day 5 of ACC’s Home Safety Action Week 2012 today, which is ‘Puddle-free Friday’.

Puddles of water on the floor are the last of the five common hazards in the home that we’re spotlighting this week, along with simple things you can do to reduce the risk of injury and keep you and your family safe.

John Beaglehole, ACC’s General Manager, Insurance and Prevention Services, says over 18,000 people were injured slipping on a wet floor at home last year.

John suggests taking the following steps to reduce the risk of this slippery hazard:
• wipe up spills as soon as they happen, with mops, sponges or cloths
• use floor mats to absorb excess water
• if renovating, install non-slip flooring in wet rooms (bathroom, kitchen and laundry).

Over 1,100 businesses, schools, community groups and government agencies are helping ACC spread the safety message this week.

Falls are the biggest cause of injuries at home, leading to over 280,000 ACC claims last year. It’s not just young children and older people who fall, either – around 40% of home falls last year happened to people aged 25-64 years.

Find out more about Home Safety Action Week 2012 at www.homesafety.co.nz or follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/NZhomesafety.

-ENDS-

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