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Publications
Lawn Mower Safety
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Introduction • Four Types of Power Lawn
Mower Accidents • Mower
Safety Guidelines
Introduction
Lawn mowers enable homeowners and groundskeepers to keep neat,
appealing grass simply by mowing. Many youngsters earn extra
money by mowing lawns. However, a lawn mower can be extremely
dangerous if it is not handled properly. 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.
What can be done to prevent lawn mower accidents?
The
following practices will prevent most accidents:
- Read the operator’s manual. Read the
instructions and then follow these instructions carefully. The
manual explains safe procedures that should be followed.
- Train operator. Be sure anyone operating
the mower understands how the mower operates. Then demonstrate
how it should be used. Observe the operator until satisfied that he / she can handle the mower safely.
- Check your lawn before mowing. Objects
picked up and hurled by the blade cause many injuries, even
deaths. Clear the lawn of sticks, stones, toys, bones and other
objects.
- 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 numerous
injuries if used.
- Dress properly to do the job safely. No
bare feet! No sandals! No sneakers! Always wear sturdy shoes;
steel-toed safety shoes are preferred.
- Handle gasoline with care. Do not fill
the gasoline tank while the engine is running. Let it cool first.
Fuel up outdoors, then wipe up all spills.
- Keep all persons and pets away from mowing area.
Remember, a mower blade can pick up and throw objects with force
sufficient to seriously injure or kill.
- No riders on riding mowers. Always say
“no” to small children asking to ride the mower with
you. Extra riders can be thrown from the mower and run over.
Extra riders also distract an operator, contributing to careless
mistakes.
- No horseplay around lawn mower. Playing
with a mower is asking for serious trouble. This has caused many serious injuries. Use a mower only for the purpose
it was designed – to mow lawns.
- Do not use riding mowers on steep slopes.
Mower overturns cause serious injury. Drive up and down slopes
when operating a riding mower. Mow across the slope when using a walk-behind
mower.
- Take care of your mower. The
operator-presence switch should stop the mower immediately when
you release the control. Clean and safety-check your mower during
the mowing season. If you have any doubt about how to adjust or
repair your mower or sharpen your mower blade, see an expert. An
annual inspection by an experienced service person is a good idea
anyway.
- Store fuel safely. Store gasoline outside
the house and away from any heat source. Frequently remind
yourself and everyone in the family that gasoline is a volatile
flammable liquid.
- Use earplugs to preserve your hearing.
Inability to hear high-pitched sounds is the first indication of
damage. Hearing loss from loud noise is permanent.
Since 1982, manufacturers have made operator-presence safety
stops that stop the blades within 3 seconds after controls are
released. Brakes may have to be adjusted, but this safety feature
should never be bypassed. The trailing toe shield and the
discharge chute protection should be operational.
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 maybe thrown 50 feet or more, causing death and
injuries ranging from blindness to severe bruising.
- 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. Playing children are seriously injured. Or,
an operator pulls a power mower backward over his or her foot.
Mower Safety
Guidelines
Before Starting Mower
- Put on close fitting clothes and sturdy, nonslip shoes.
- If the lawn is wet – wait!
- Go over the lawn carefully to pick up stones, wire, toys, dog bones –
anything the mower blade might pick up and throw.
- If your electric mower isn’t labeled "double insulated," never
plug it into anything but a grounded (3-prong) outlet.
- Adjust cutting height before starting mower.
While You Mow
- Never run mower over gravel, stones or hard, immovable objects like pipes,
rocks or sidewalk edges.
- Mow advancing forward whenever possible so you can see where you’re
going.
- Keep electric mower cord out of the cutting path.
- Stay clear of the blade housing and the discharge chute.
- Never point discharge chute at others.
- Turn off the mower before you leave it – even for a moment.
Be Sure To
- Disconnect spark plug or power cord before working on your mower.
- Treat gasoline like the volatile fuel it really is.
- Keep the power cord of an electric mower in near-new condition.
Safety practices are just common sense – but we
often need reminders. Take a few minutes to review these safety suggestions at
the beginning of each mowing season.
Author: Gary
Huitink, Extension Agricultural Engineer
GARY
HUITINK is an Extension agricultural engineer,
Cooperative Extension Service, University of Arkansas,
Little Rock. Illustration by RICHARD DeSPAIN,
Extension illustrator, Cooperative Extension Service,
University of Arkansas, Little Rock.
FSA1005-PD-11-01R
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