Editorial: Take right steps not to be fall guy

The Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter attended the following incident you may be interested in:
Date - 10/08/2011
Time - 12.10pm
The Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter responded to a 62-year-old man who had fallen from a ladder while cutting a tree on a rural property at Waipatiki Beach. He suffered back and head injuries and was flown by rescue helicopter to Hawke's Bay Hospital for further treatment.

In retirement  my late father fell off a ladder and landed on a concrete driveway. Miraculously he was shaken, but uninjured. The family joked that it was fortunate he'd fallen on his head.
But the reality of such accidents can be far more serious. The man injured in yesterday's incident at Waipatiki Beach, highlighted above, was in a critical condition in Hawke's Bay Hospital this morning.
More people are injured at home than in their car, at work or playing sport. The biggest cause of home accidents is falls - in 2010 over 260,000 Kiwis were seriously injured when falling at home and over 4000 people were seriously hurt falling off ladders.
With spring officially starting on September 1 optimistic Kiwis will be getting ready for another bout of DIY around the house. And it's a fair bet many of them will rush headlong into it without using the proper equipment, or taking the correct precautions.
So it is entirely appropriate that ACC is running Safety Week from next Monday through to the following Sunday with the accent on preventing unnecessary falls in the home.
ACC says people need to consider that small things like running to answer the phone or standing on a chair to change a light bulb instead of using a ladder can cause accidents and ruin family activities, or prevent you from going to work.
Many of us will know the dangers from past experience. Only a few years ago I personally had to take a feet-first fall with my arms full after a sudden downpour had wet outside stairs.
Wearing a shoddy-pair of jandals was my folly. It was excruciatingly painful, and caused bruising so deep that I had a lump on my leg for months.
The coming week will serve as a reminder of the dangers that lurk as we contemplate the better weather ahead.
For tips on making your home safer visit www.homesafety.co.nz