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 an unseen child standing or sitting behind the 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," 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 think 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.
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 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."
Cheltenham Store
303 Warrigal Rd, Cheltenham VIC
sales@melbournesmowercentre.com.au
Ph: (03) 9584 5911
Fax: (03) 9584 5922