Safety Tips for Lawn mowers

1
Safety Tipsfor Lawn mowers
2
Lawn Mower Injuries

• The power lawn mower is one of the most dangerous
  tools around the home.
• The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
  reports that each year lawn mowers injure over
  110,000 people seriously enough to require
  treatment in hospital emergency rooms.
• More than 9,000 of the people hurt were younger
  than 18 years. Older children and adolescents
  were most often hurt while cutting lawns as
  chores or as a way to earn money.
• Injuries include deep cuts, loss of fingers and
  toes, broken and dislocated bones, burns, and eye
  and other injuries. Both users of mowers and
  those who are nearby can be hurt.

3
Four types of power lawn mower accidents cause
the majority of injuries

• Contact with rotating blade.
• Propelled objects. Rocks, glass and wire are
  hurled at initial speeds above 170 miles per
  hour. Objects may be thrown 50 feet or more.
• Overturning. This occurs primarily when riding
  mowers are used on steep slopes or embankments.
  Victims may be pinned under the mower or come
  into contact with the blade.
• Riding mowers running over the victim. Accidents
  occur if the operator fails to look when backing
  a riding mower, children playing are seriously
  injured, or an operator pulls a power mower
  backward over his or her foot.

4
Other Hazards

• The muffler and cylinder head heat up during
  operation, and remain hot for some time after the
  engine has been turned off and can cause burns.
• Most mowers are powered by gasoline-driven
  combustion engines. Gasoline is a very explosive
  and flammable material that should be treated
  with respect. Gasoline is flammable because it
  vaporizes with air to form a mixture that ignites
  easily. Vaporization can occur in temperatures as
  low as zero degrees.

5
Follow these guidelines

• Read the operators manual. The manual explains
  safe procedures that should be followed
• Check guards and shields. Be sure all protective
  devices are in place before starting the mower.
  Shields and guards are for your protection and
  will prevent injuries if used.

6
Follow these guidelines

• Don't mow when other people are nearby.
• Wear strong shoes or boots, not flip-flops or
  sneakers.
• Pick up rocks, sticks, pinecones, and toys before
  mowing, even if you are using a mower that
  collects the clippings automatically.
• Wear goggles or safety glasses, and wear hearing
  protection. Once you get used to protecting your
  hearing, you'll be amazed at how annoyingly noisy
  a mower is when you aren't wearing protection.

7
Follow these guidelines

• Fuel your edger and mower outside, and do it
  before you start, not during operation.
• If you are going to remove or replace the blade,
  disconnect the spark plug first.
• Turn off the mower and wait for the blade to stop
  spinning before you empty the grass catcher,
  unclog something from the blade or under the
  mower, or push the mower across rocks or gravel.
• Riding mowers aren't meant to carry passengers.

8
Caution

• Make sure other people, especially children, are
  out of the area. Young children should be
  supervised while the yard is being mowed. The
  mower operator may not hear or see children
  approach.
• Never point the discharge chute at anyone. Never
  run the mower over gravel.
• Do not mow wet grass. Wet grass is slippery and
  the operator can lose footing, slip under the
  mower, or allow the mower to roll backwards. Wet
  grass also clogs the discharge chute and can
  cause the engine to falter. When this happens,
  always turn off the engine and wait a few seconds
  for the blades to stop rotating before correcting
  it.

9

• Use care on inclines. Some slopes are too steep
  to mow safely. Always push walk-behind mowers
  across slopes to avoid coming in contact with the
  mower (e.g., by sliding down the hill onto the
  mower, or allowing the mower to roll backwards on
  top of operator). Drive riding mowers up and down
  slopes.
• Never leave a running mower unattended.