I pay a guy to cut my lawn these days. I don't mind doing some yard work, but pushing the mower back and forth is just not my cup of tea. Besides, it's nice to come home to a freshly cut lawn every weekend.
One thing I've noticed: the lawn guy doesn't follow all the safety rules. I've never seen him do anything really dangerous and he wears appropriate clothing, but he doesn't always wear eye protection or gloves. Typical boss, though; he makes his employees wear safety equipment.
Lawnmower Injuries
- 70,640 injuries from power lawnmowers (push and ride-on) and hand mowers were treated in hospitals in 1999.
- Most lawnmowers attack the ends of your limbs: hands, fingers, wrists, feet, ankles and toes.
- Lawnmowers are responsible for a lot of amputations and partial amputations.
If you want to stay safe when taking care of the lawn, hire a gardener. If you insist on doing it yourself, follow some basic safety tips from the Consumer Product Safety Commission to keep all your fingers, toes and toddlers.
Basic Operation
- Read the instructions for your mower -- and follow them
- Keep your moving parts away from the lawnmower's moving parts unless you're not that fond of keeping your fingers and toes
- Don't drink and mow (reward yourself with a beer after the lawn is done)
- Get all the rocks and toys off the lawn first (see tips for kids below)
- Turn off the motor when you're not holding the handle
- If it's not grass, don't cut it with the lawnmower
- Taking a hill depends on whether your lawnmower requires you to push or sit -- push mowers cut hills sideways and riding mowers cut up and down
Proper Care and Feeding of Your Lawnmower
- Always turn off the mower and let it cool down before adding gas
- Don't take off safety shields or guards
- If your lawnmower has one of those bars that automatically shuts it off when you're not holding the handle, don't disable it by tying it down or taking it off
- Stay away from the engine cowling unless you want to get burned
- Use a tool like a stick or a broom handle to dig stuff out of the lawnmower -- not your hands or feet
- Never try to work on the mower with the motor running -- don't even look under the hood until you shut it down
- Regularly maintain your lawnmower including keeping the blades sharp -- a happy lawnmower is less likely to bite you
Lawnmowers and Kids
Kids love lawnmowers -- until they become old enough to cut the grass every week. Follow these rules when the rugrats are around:
- Too young to drive equals too young to mow
- Keep kids away from the lawnmower -- the easiest way is to threaten them with chores like weeding or stacking rocks (see basic operation above)
- Ever counted the seats on a riding mower? One -- no riders
Proper Uniform
Dress for the occasion: no shorts or sandals. Mow in long pants and shoes -- boots are better. Wear eye protection. Wearing gloves will help you not get burned, but the way to really keep your fingers is to keep them away from the moving parts whether you have gloves on or not.
