53,000 claim for injuries

Press, 4 May 1978, Page 17

53,000 claim for injuries

The number of claims for injury received by the Accident Compensation Commission during the first half of last year was almost equivalent to the population of Invercargill. A total of 53,548 claims were received for accidental injury at work, in the home, on the roads, and in sports and recreational activities, the commission said.

The number of work accidents continued to attract the commission’s attention. There were 29,543 claims, which is about the same as the population of Timaru. In the over-all accident statistics, slightly more than 8000 claims were the

result of stepping on, striking, or being struck by an object. Over-ex-ertion accounted for 7490 claims for compensation, while 2806 claims were received after people had been caught between objects. The manufacturing industries remained as a major source of work accidents, 12,747 claims being received from this sector. Agriculture, hunting, fishing, and forestry employees filed 3259 claims over the six-month period, transport, storage, and communication industries recorded 2608, and community, social, and personal services, 2649.