Lawn Mower Safety Tips

Every year thousands of people injur themselves operating a lawn mower. These injuries can be avoided by implementing a few basic safety practices.

Keep the kids indoors while you mow
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.

When the mower's running, a parent can't hear the child and, in some cases with riding mowers, they can't see if the child is behind them. Many of the mower injuries that occur each summer involve a child who has been backed over by a riding mower.

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. They're unstable, especially on inclines, and if a child's on it with an adult, there's always the risk of falling off and sliding under the mower.

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.

Wear proper safety equipment
Make sure you have on proper hearing and eye protection, and that you are 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.

More than 22 percent of lawn mower injuries involve the hand, fingers or wrist, so 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.

Read the user's manual before operating the mower
Knowing how the machine operates will help avoid injury to both children and adults. Remember that lawn mower injuries are completely preventable.