Study shows risk

High risk of injury – watch out during Easter cleaning!

Many cleaning accidents happen when falling from a ladder or a chair.

(Bild: Kzenon - stock.adobe.com)

For many people in Austria, spring awakening also means getting ready for spring or Easter cleaning. A good three quarters of households thoroughly clean their own four walls in spring. This entails a risk of accidents that should not be underestimated.

According to a recent study conducted by marketagent on behalf of Allianz Austria, more than a third of Austrians have already injured themselves at least once in the process. According to the study, 37% of respondents stated that they had injured themselves one or more times while doing household chores - excluding cooking. More than a quarter (26%) know that this has already happened to another person from the same household.

Frequent: cuts and head injuries
The most common injuries include cuts (51%), head injuries caused by knocks or falling objects (44%) and bruises (41%). Almost as often, Austrians trip over objects or vacuum cleaner cables when cleaning (39%), scald themselves (30%) or injure themselves when lifting heavy objects (27%). Particularly dangerous are falls down stairs (22 percent), falls from ladders or chairs (21 percent) and accidents caused by slipping (12 percent).

Less common: electric shocks and poisoning
Electric shocks caused by electrical appliances (11%), irritation or chemical burns (7%) and poisoning (2%) caused by chemicals occur comparatively less frequently.

Denise Cullu, expert for personal accident insurance at Allianz Austria, advises people to take safety precautions when cleaning for Easter: "Trip hazards such as slippery carpets should be removed in advance." When dusting or cleaning windows, you should also never stand on chairs, tables or other pieces of furniture: "Many serious injuries have already occurred here," Cullu points out.

About the study

• On behalf of Allianz Austria, marketagent surveyed a total of 1000 people on the subject of spring cleaning and injuries during household activities.
• The survey period was from February 28 to March 5, 2024 and the results are representative of the Austrian population.

Statutory insurance does not pay for everything
The expert points out that accidents that happen while cleaning at home are considered leisure accidents and are therefore not covered by statutory accident insurance. Moreover, treatment costs are only covered to a certain extent by statutory health insurance. Denise Cullu advises anyone who wants to be financially protected in the event of serious incidents to take out private accident insurance. This offers "a lump sum in the form of a one-off payment or a monthly pension in the event of permanent physical impairment".