Each year thousands of individuals are injured while mowing the lawn. These injuries can be everything from a first-degree burn to a tragic amputation or even death. HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s hospitals urge community members to use caution while mowing.
“Prevention of these injuries is key,” says Regi Geisler, trauma coordinator for HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s hospitals. “The most common injuries could be prevented by just slowing down and using common sense.”
- Read your mower’s instruction manual prior to use.
- Keep your mower in good working order.
- Pick up potential flying objects such as stones, toys and debris before you start mowing.
- Wear goggles, hearing protection, gloves, long pants and closed-toe shoes.
- Do not drink alcohol or use other substances before or while using your lawn mower.
- Do not remove safety devices or guards on switches.
- Never insert hands or feet into the mower to remove grass or debris.
- Never lift a mower by the bottom for transport; the blades can cut fingers even if they are not moving.
- Never cut grass when it is wet or damp.
- Never allow children under age 12 to operate a push mower or those under 16 to drive a riding mower. Keep children off the lawn while mowing, and never have a passenger on your riding mower.
- Do not pull a mower backward or ride it in reverse unless necessary.
Some of the most common lawn care injuries include:
- Cuts: Cuts can occur anywhere on the body but most often occur on the hands and feet from the sharp blades. Small wounds or cuts can harbor unsafe bacteria. Infections are common, and antibiotic medicines usually are necessary.
- Burns: The hot engine, gas tank or exhaust of a lawn mower can cause severe burns.
- Missile Injuries: A variety of injuries may be caused by items such as rocks, sticks or other loose objects in the lawn being thrown from the spinning blades.
- Fractures: The rotating blades of a mower can cause broken bones.
- Amputations: The sharp blades of a mower can amputate part of an arm, leg, hand or foot. Plus, burns, cuts and fractures can be so severe that the injured part of the body requires amputation to prevent infection and further complications. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.
