What should you avoid when using a power lawn mower?
- Read, understand, and follow the instructions in the manufacturer's operating manual.
Usually these manuals cover all aspects of the mower's controls and moving parts. You should become familiar with the mower's safety features, including how to stop the mower quickly in case of an emergency.
- Keep all safety shields and mower shut-off mechanisms in place. These are provided by the manufacturer to insure your safety. Removal of these devices or "shut off" mechanisms might seem to simplify a mower's operation, but it can prove to be extremely hazardous.
- Wear hearing and head protection and safety glasses.
- Clear the work area of debris, sticks, stones, toys, etc. that might be thrown by the blades. Lawn mowers blades can throw out hit material at about 300 feet per second (about 200 miles per hour or 330 kilometres per hour).
- Maintain mower and attachments in good operating condition.
- Keep safety devices and guards in place.
- Inspect the mower prior to starting. Make certain that the blade is sharp and secure.
- Set mower at the highest cutting point when operating on rough ground.
- Disengage all attachment clutches and shift mower into neutral before attempting to start the engine.
- Look behind mower when backing up. Back up only minimal distances.
- Mow straight up and down slopes rather than sideways for greater stability (unless mower is counter-balanced).
- Reduce speed on slopes and when making sharp turns to prevent tipping or loss of control.
- Watch for rocks, holes and other hazards.
- Mow only in daylight.
- Stop and inspect the blades and shaft if the mower runs into a rock or stump. Damaged blades can cause vibration and vibration can loosen the blades.
- Check the blade-mounting bolts frequently for tightness.
- Check grass catcher bags for wear. Replace worn bags.
- Never attempt to unclog a discharge chute while the mower is running. Always stop the mower's engine before attempting to clear any grass clippings from the chute. Disconnect the spark plug wires on gasoline-powered mowers before making adjustments or clearing jams near moving parts. Remember that the mower's blade is still very sharp, even when it is not turning.
- After stopping the mower's engine, always use a stick or tool to clean out the discharge chute - never use your hand.
- Keep an eye on any children or pets playing in the area. A potential danger to these children is that they may be struck by flying objects that are thrown from the mower.
- Generally, mow up and down a slope when using a riding mover. Mow across the slope when using a push mower. For extremely steep slopes, consider planting other alternative ground covers instead of grass.
- Never carry passengers while mowing. A sudden turn or movement by the mower could result in the extra rider being thrown from the mower. Never let a child ride or operate a riding mower.
- Do not pull your walk-behind mower. Pulling the mower increases the likelihood that you will pull the blade onto your foot.
- Be careful when mowing around large shrubs or trees with limbs hanging at eye level. This poses a potential danger for trauma to your eyes. It is always a good idea to wear eye and ear protection while mowing.
- Never leave a running lawn mower unattended.
Stay Safe When Mowing Your Lawn
Like a bullfrog announcing the onset of summer, the drone of lawn mowers soon will fill the air. If you plan to cut grass this season, keep safety in mind. Each year in the United States mower injuries result in tens of thousands of emergency room admissions.
As with any tool, lawn mowers can injure people or damage property whether or not they are operated safely. By striving for safety, using common sense, taking your time and having respect for the machinery, you can help keep your property intact and your anatomy in one piece.
Before starting the mower, ensure that adjustable items, such as the wheels and handle, are set to the proper height. Trying to adjust almost anything on the go increases the odds that the mower will jump up and bite you.
Check the blade. It should be straight, sharp and free of nicks. Dull blades tear rather than cut the grass. Badly bent blades are a hazard not only because they can cause vibration and ensuing mechanical failures, but they also do a poor job of cutting and can place the tip of the blade below the lower edge of the mower deck. This puts the blade in a position to pick up rocks and debris, not to mention toes that may be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Before you begin mowing, check the lawn for obstacles such as sticks, stones and toys. Even small rotary lawn mowers can fling objects at speeds of more than 200 miles per hour. A quick walk through the yard will minimize the chance that you or someone else will be hit by flying debris.
Additional safe mowing guidelines:
...Start the mower on level ground and if it's a rope starter, always keep one foot on the proper location on the deck.
...Let a hot engine cool for 5 minutes before fueling.
...Fill the fuel tank outdoors and move the fuel container away from the mower when starting it.
...Make sure discharge chutes, deflector shields and baggers are securely in place.
...Wear protective shoes and clothing, including eye and ear protection.
...Keep bystanders - such as children or pets -- at a safe distance, at least 100 feet.
...Never reach into the discharge area to unclog the chute.
...Patience is a virtue while mowing. Rest if you feel fatigued.
After mowing take a moment for some basic mower upkeep. Let the mower cool. Then remove the dirt and damp grass from under the mower deck. You'll double the life of the mower deck if you do this as a matter of habit. It's a hassle, but it works. To prevent accidental engine ignition, disconnect the spark plug wire before reaching under the mower.
Watch for signs of wear or fracture anywhere on the machine. If something looks amiss, either replace it or fix it immediately. Don't wire it or tape it together. Remember, duct tape on the machine often can lead to surgical tape on your body.
For riding mowers, at the end of the grass cutting season, drain the fuel tank, change the oil and remove and store the battery in a dry place. Keep the mower in a dry, protected location until it's needed again.
Cutting back on summer injuries: Lawn mower safety tips keep kids safe
About 2,300 children are seriously injured by riding and push lawn mowers each year
ANN ARBOR, MI - An estimated 30 children under the age of 12 will visit the University of Michigan Health System's emergency department this summer with a life-altering foot, hand, face or lower extremity injury or amputation caused by a lawn mower - wounds that are completely preventable with a little education and common sense.
In most cases, says Becky D'Agostino, RN, a charge nurse in the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital recovery rooms, parents didn't realize that having a child sit on a riding mower with them or even having a child in the yard while they're cutting the lawn was dangerous. She and other UMHS nurses and pediatricians at Mott hope they can inform other parents of the dangers before more accidents occur.
"It's usually not until it's too late and their child is seriously hurt that a parent says they'd wish they'd known about the dangers sooner," D'Agostino says. "Lawn mowers really have the potential to do great harm to the body, but so many people just don't understand that."
Each summer, U-M pediatricians and the U-M nursing staff at Mott see the devastating effects lawn mower injuries can have on children, ages 2 - 12, and their parents - reconstructive surgery, long hospital stays, and permanent disfigurement and disability.
This year, the group is taking steps to help prevent some of the 2,300 lawn mower injuries that the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons estimates children will sustain this summer as the result of lawn mower incidents, by providing parents with safety tips.
Tip 1: Keep the kids indoors while you mow
Although it's usually a struggle to keep kids inside during the warm summer months, it's the first and most important step to keeping them safe while the lawn mower is on.
Several serious injuries can occur if children are in the yard while the mower is running. There's the risk that a parent might accidentally run over a child's hand or foot if he or she is playing too close to the mower, or if the lawn is wet and the child slips under the mower. Plus, there's always the chance that an object like a twig or a stone will fly out of the mower and strike the child.
"A child is just not safe in the yard when a mower is on," warns Frances Farley, M.D., assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the U-M Medical School, who has operated on many children injured by lawn mowers. "When the mower's running, a parent can't hear the child and, in some cases with riding mowers, they can't see the if the child is behind them."
More than half of all of the mower injuries that Farley cares for each summer involve a child who has been backed over by a riding mower. In most riding mowers, the blade is still engaged in reverse, causing parents, relatives or neighbors to do serious harm to a unseen child standing or sitting behind the mower.
Tip 2: Riding mowers aren't built for two
It may seem like fun for kids to co-pilot the riding mower with mom and dad, but in most cases, it's an accident waiting to happen.
"Riding mowers are not designed for two people," says Farley. "They're unstable, especially on inclines, and if a child's on it with an adult, there's always the risk for falling off and sliding under the mower. Parents always thing their child is safe in their lap, but that's never the case."
And although most mowers have a safety feature which shuts off the engine when the rider gets off or falls off, that same feature will not be activated if just the child falls off.
In any circumstance, regardless of age, no riders other than the operator should be on a riding mower. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics encourages parents not to allow children under the age of 16 to even operate riding mowers, and suggests that no child under the age of 12 use a push mower.
Tip 3: Ways keep mom and dad safe, too
Adults operating lawn mowers are just as much at risk for injuries as their children.
Before adults even turn on the mower, they should make sure they have on proper hearing and eye protection, and that they're wearing sturdy shoes, not sandals or sneakers. In addition, don't forget to go around the yard and pick up loose objects in the lawn to prevent objects from projecting out of the mower. Also, remember to turn the mower off before crossing over gravel paths or roads, to avoid flying stones.
With more than 22 percent of lawn mower injuries involving the hand, fingers or wrist, Farley says to always make sure the engine is off and the mower blade has completely stopped rotating before attempting to remove debris from the mower or make adjustments to it.
Farley also encourages all adults to read their user's manual before operating the mower. Knowing how the machine operates will help avoid injury to both children and adults. "The main thing to remember is all lawn mower injuries are completely preventable," she says. "These aren't just freak accidents. They're extremely serious and in most cases they change a child's or an adult's life forever."
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