This might be hard to believe, but almost 70 people die every year In the USA alone. The number of injured is an alarming 80,000, including around 5000 children. So something isn’t going right. Our expert team tried to find out the reason, and we’ve compiled these lawn mower safety tips so that you can enjoy a trimmed yard without rushing yourself/your loved one in the ER. So, without wasting any more time, let’s check out the list of safety measures that can save you from serious injury, shall we?
Lawn Mower Safety Tips
Here are the most important lawn mowing safety tips you need to abide by:
Check The Weather
Running your own mower in a stormy or wet condition is never a good idea. So sit tight, let the weather pass, and when it’s clear outside, try again. Not only can wet grass make your mowing miserable, but the wet/stormy weather also brings about many potential hazards. Though Water and electricity go along very well, that’s not always in our best interest, now is it?
Not only that, rain makes the lawn mowing process much harder than it has to be. So unless you have a death wish or something, we don’t advise you to mow your lawns in the rain/storm. Also, you need to see what you are cutting. So avoid low-light conditions.
Take Proper Preparation
We can’t emphasize this enough — read the instruction manual thoroughly. You’ll have a better idea about what your piece of equipment can do and what not. This might seem like a tedious job, but trust me, it’s worth your time. If you don’t like books, check the model of your lawn mower online to get important information about your machine.
One pro tip here, clean your yard beforehand to remove all the debris that can make your job much riskier. If you don’t, your mower will start throwing debris all over your yard, and that can cause serious damage.
Gear Up
Like any other job, safety comes first here as well. A range of clothes and protective gear can keep you from harm while you trim your yard. The proper outfit might seem a little uncomfortable to many people out there, but we have to make a little sacrifice to avoid serious lawn mower injuries. Long-sleeve shirts and pants will protect you from flying objects that can harm your skin. Use goggles/protective eyewear for eye protection.
And use close-toed shoes to save yourself from knocking your toes off rocks and sticks in the yard. This will also help to gain traction in case the yard is slippery. And if you are not fond of loud noise, cover your ears as well.
Keep Away From Children
Though lawn mowers aren’t children-friendly, good luck telling them that. Your little superheroes might think of the lawnmower as a toy, rushing into your path while you are mowing, and that can be really dangerous. Children tend to be curious by nature. But machines like lawnmowers aren’t built keeping children in mind. So it would be best if you could keep them away from the sharp blades.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children under the age of 12 shouldn’t use push lawn mowers alone, and children below 16 should not drive a riding lawnmower.
Adjust Accordingly
There are two prominent types of lawnmowers available in the market. One of them is named push lawnmower, and the other is a riding lawnmower. Push lawn mowers, also known as walk-behind mowers, is the best choice for a small yard, while the riding one is for bigger fields and yards. If you are working in steep terrain, be extra careful as most lawn mowers tend to lose balance in such an environment.
And, Don’t pull your lawnmowers around no matter how tempting it may seem. They are built to be pushed around. And don’t run while mowing. This is a delicate job that needs your undivided attention.
Avoid Junks
Even if you do a pre-cleanup, it’s possible that you’ve missed some pebbles, twigs, toys, or tree branches. Don’t start mowing over them. The spinning blades will launch the debris in random directions and can harm people nearby. Keep your eyes on the tall grass as there might be some debris or poisonous plants hidden.
If you feel something clashing with your lawnmower blade despite all your effort, Stop the machine immediately and check for damage. If you see any kind of damage, refrain from using it any further before repairing it. Also, gravel and lawnmowers don’t go well together. So it would be best if you avoid mowing over gravel driveway/path.
Follow The Line
The things we can do to minimize potential health hazards include following the proper mowing direction. All lawn mowers are designed to be pushed around/rode. So we strongly veto against pulling them around. If you have to mow in reverse, keep a sharp eye on your environment to avoid tripping over or injuring others. You don’t want to amputate someone, including yourself, accidentally.
The riding mowers tend to fall on their side, especially if you don’t follow the proper guideline. So, avoid sharp turns, and if you are on a hillside area, ride up and down the hill instead of across it.
Check The Temperature
Lawnmowers tend to get seriously hot. So keep your skin from coming in contact with the hot engine or muffler. Unlike a car, the lawnmower tank isn’t separated from the engine making the engine and exhaust systems scalding hot. Hot enough to cause serious burns on the unprotected skin of you or your loved ones.
And never ever refuel the gas tank while the mower is hot. The temperature can ignite in an instance, and you’ll be landing in the ER before you know it. So keep the engine heat in check to avoid any lawn mower related injuries.
Don’t Try to Be a Jack of All Trade
No matter how good you are at some things, you can’t be a superhero with an indestructible body, right? So don’t go poking your fingers where you shouldn’t. Nobody wants you to face finger amputation at the expense of you showing off your engineering skills. We strongly advise you to avoid risky maneuvers like tying a rope to a push mower’s handle or rewiring seat cutoff switches.
What’s the harm you say? We’ve seen many of these “ingenious” tricks resulting in complete amputation. Don’t forget; you are working with a powerful machine that rotates razor-sharp blades at an astonishing rpm. So don’t try to act cool at the expense of injury.
Conclusion
Lawnmowers are delicate machinery. They need undivided attention to minimize any unwanted consequences. If you try to abide by all those safety guidelines mentioned above. We can surely hope your lawnmowing session will be complete without a hitch. It’s better to be safe than to be sorry, right?
That’s all for today. I hope this article proves to be helpful to those in need. Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences with us in the comment section below. Thanks for reading this far. I wish you all a safe and secure weekend ahead. Stay safe and take care.
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