The home is the most likely place for New Zealanders to be injured, and since Covid-19 has changed the way we live and work, ACC is asking southerners to take care in their bubbles.
The cost and the number of home injuries in 2020 was the highest in the past five years in New Zealand, including in Otago and Southland.
According to Stats NZ, more than 40% of employed people did at least some of their work from home during Alert Levels 3 and 4 last year between April and early May.
Labour market statistics manager Andrew Neal said as the country moved down through the alert levels and the lockdown eased, more people returned to their workplaces, but many continued to do at least some work from home.
By Level 1, 83% were working outside the home.
"Many of those working at home would also have returned to their usual workplace for some of the time, so the median number of hours worked from home fell from 30 per week at Alert Levels 4 and 3, to just 10 per week at Alert Level 1."
ACC head of injury prevention Isaac Carlson and said the agency wanted people to be doing the things they loved at home.
"But we also want to collectively change our mindset on preventing injury so we can get through this period without serious injury."
About 5000 claims were received every day, and the cost associated with helping people recover was in the billions.
In 2020, there were just over one million claims accepted, which came at a cost of $1.4billion to help people recover, an increase of $143million from 2019.
In Otago, there were 48,316 injuries in 2020, which cost $69 million. In Southland, there were 17,607 injuries, which cost $30million.
Mr Carlson recognised it was a challenging time but stressed the importance of keeping safe during Covid-19 restrictions.
"Trying to work from home and manage a family during a lockdown is not an easy time so we all need to acknowledge that.
"But it’s important to think about risk during this period so we can all keep safe and avoid preventable injuries."
On average, one in five New Zealanders will injure themselves in their home every year. The most affected age group for fall injuries at home from 2016-20 was 0-9 years old.
Small changes could include tidying up toys, keeping floors clear of cables and other items, wiping up any spills immediately, ensuring everyone knows how to safely interact with animals and what to do if they see a hazard.
Falls were the leading cause of at-home injuries, but also the most preventable.
The second most common cause was lifting and carrying, followed by animals, gardening, punctures and cuts, twisting movements and collisions or being knocked over.
