Welcome to the 9th issue of IP News, and the final for 2007. Christmas is just around the corner and thoughts of summer holidays are foremost in our minds - in fact most of the country has recently been basking in warmer temperatures.

In this edition, there are plenty of tips on staying safe over the festive season and on into the summer. We wish you all a very happy and injury-free summer and look forward to bringing you our next issue in February.

The New Zealand Fire Service has put together a series of tips on the safe use of Christmas trees and Christmas lights.

Each year several homeowners receive serious electric shocks when doing work around their houses, so The Ministry of Economic Development Energy Safety is reminding homeowners to be aware of the potential risks when working with or around electricity.

From the survey results, a series of fact sheets have been produced, exploring New Zealand youth and aquatic recreation, available from WaterSafe Auckland (under Research-Youth).

Rebekka Still has joined the Injury Prevention team as an IPC in Wellington after three years as an ACC Case Manger.

Andrew Hill joined ACC as a graduate in 2006 and has recently accepted a position as an Injury Prevention Consultant in Wellington.

Liz van Welie has joined ACC as an Injury Prevention Consultant in Tauranga. Previously Liz worked for Sport Bay of Plenty as their Regional Secondary Schools Sports Director.

Rebecca McKinley has recently started as an Injury Prevention Consultant based in Wellington. Rebecca was previously a Case Manager at the Long Term Claims Unit.

Alisa Davies has just joined the ACC Injury Prevention Group as an Injury Prevention Consultant in Christchurch. Before this she worked as an ACC Case Manager.

Statistics New Zealand has released a report stating older workers have the highest injury rate. Age Concern questions these figures, which claim 1 in 5 older workers had a workplace accident in 2006.