The cost of looking after people injured in their own home rose to $640 million in the year ending 30 June - an increase of 36% in just two years, ACC Minister Nick Smith said today.

"ACC statistics show that almost half of all injuries sustained by New Zealanders occur in the home," Dr Smith said. "That is why the focus of Safety NZ Week this year is on preventing injuries at home.

"Most injuries at home are from easily preventable slips, trips and falls. They are a significant factor in the increasing ACC costs. In 2007 accidents at home cost $469 million, the latest figures show this has grown to $640 million. That is one and half times the cost of road accidents at $398 million.

"People don't think of their homes as a place where you can get seriously hurt, so they don't think about safety in the home in the same way they might think about safety on the road.

"In the last year more than 650,000 people were injured in their own homes compared with about 36,000 hurt on the roads. Statistically, that means you're more than 18 times as likely to be hurt at home than in a vehicle.

"Around 32,000 claims are made each year by people who have fallen down steps, more than 25,000 injure themselves with tools, and 4000 hurt themselves falling off ladders."

Dr Smith says he is fully supportive of ACC's efforts to raise awareness of dangers in the home and the simple steps people can take to reduce the chance of injury to them or their family.

"The best way to reduce the cost of these injuries is to prevent the injuries from happening in the first place. Nobody wants to be hurt by an accident they could have easily prevented."

Safety NZ Week 2009 runs from September 7 to 13 with a focus on reducing the number of injuries sustained in the home and the costs associated with those injuries. ACC, with the support of business and community groups, is running an education programme encouraging all Kiwis to take simple steps to make their homes safer.