For many adults, lawn mowing is a welcome change of pace from a stressful work week. Some even find it therapeutic. For everyone however, using a powerful machine with rotating blades is inherently dangerous. Tens of thousands of people are treated for lawn mower injuries each year in hospital emergency rooms.
The rotating blades are a danger to hands, fingers, and limbs. They may fling high-speed projectiles at nearby people. Riding lawn mowers introduce additional hazards such as going into reverse and injuring an unsuspecting person, or tipping over and crushing the rider.
To ensure that your lawn mowing experience remains a safe one, follow these safety tips.
Read the operator’s manual. Be thoroughly familiar with the use of your lawn mower by reading its operation manual.
Exercise situational awareness. Never lose track of where your children and pets are when mowing your lawn. Make sure that they stay clear of the vicinity. Running kids and dogs can’t be relied on to exercise prudence around dangerous machines.
Survey your lawn before you mow. The spinning blades of a mower can turn rocks and other debris into flying projectiles. Clear out debris and other objects before mowing. Don’t attempt to do this clearing while you mow because combining these two very different tasks means doing a good job at neither.
Wear the right clothing. Wear eye protection, work shoes, and long pants. This protects you in case something escaped your notice during your pre-mowing inspection of the yard.
Use a broom handle or stick when cleaning your mower. Turn off the mower, remove the spark plug wire from the spark plug, and use a broom handle or stick to clean grass clippings from the rotor area. Never get lax, distracted, or complacent when doing this procedure.
Use a mower with a kill switch. This is sometimes referred to as a dead man’s switch. It’s a feature that cuts power to the blades when you let go of the handle.
Never mow in reverse. Your control and field of vision is poor. Pulling a push mower backwards risks injury to feet and legs if a foot slips.
Turn off the mower when not cutting grass. Turn off the motor before crossing roads, areas with gravel, driveways, and other areas that are not a part of your lawn. While it’s inconvenient to stop and then restart your mower, it’s the safe thing to do.
If you or a loved one were injured in an accident because a product was defective, did not have standard safety devices, or the instructions failed to provide a warning of hidden dangers, get the advice of apersonal injury attorney. For a free consultation, don’t hesitate to contact us.