Two Northlanders whose personal information was leaked to a disgruntled ACC claimant have spoken of their outrage over the blunder.
They are among at least five Northlanders and more than 6000 ACC claimants nationwide whose private information was leaked out via a spreadsheet.
Allan Nicholas and Ivan Martinac, both of Whangarei, are still awaiting word from ACC on what precise details were released and both have not ruled out legal action.
Their claims are not related to treatment for sexual abuse.
A report released by ACC yesterday announced that it had entered into a joint review with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and an independent auditor to fully review ACC's privacy procedures as a result of the breach.
An Auckland ACC worker accidentally attached a spreadsheet containing thousands of private records in an email to a client.
About 9000 records were sent relating to about 6000 people, including 137 who had suffered sexual abuse or assault.
A report on the circumstances of the leak was yesterday sent to ACC Minister Judith Collins.
Mr Martinac, a former Tangowahine farmer, said it was the second time ACC had released information that included details such as his name, claim number, date of accident, how the injury happened and cost of the claim.
He said included in the leaked information was the fact that ACC had spent $14,000 fighting Mr Martinac's claims for review on three separate occasions.
"They seem to have neglected their code of conduct and turned themselves into a profit-making organisation. I am sick of their behaviour," he said.
In a letter to him on June 1, 2010, ACC general manager claims management Denise Cosgrove apologised for the breach of privacy and said action had been taken to ensure the error was not repeated.
But the latest breach, he said, had strung him out and to make matters worse, ACC did not explain what specific information was leaked.
Another claimant, Allan Nicholas, said his heart sank and he became incredibly nervous when told about the breach.
The mental health support worker said the way an ACC employee broke the news to him on Wednesday was unacceptable.
Mr Nicholas said he was forced to hand over his personal details over the phone before ACC would tell him about the latest breach.
"This is just the beating you take from ACC who feel they can do whatever they like and whenever they like. I still don't know what information about me has been released," he said.
Mr Nicholas said he was shocked and devastated upon learning of the latest blunder by ACC and then outraged at the way news was broken out to him.
ACC spokeswoman Stephanie Melville said if people were in any way anxious or upset and felt their concerns were not being taken seriously, they should ring ACC on 0800 101 996 or 0800 650222 to make a complaint.
ACC advocate Jeanette Brock said given that private information on some claimants had been repeatedly leaked meant ACC had a serious problem withholding sensitive information.
Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff has formally launched an investigation into the blunder which would cover ACC's standards for securing information.