Lawn Mower Safety Tips
Lawn care season is here, and we want to make sure you stay SAFE when tending to your lawn all season long. Even if you’ve been mowing injury-free for decades, we have some safety tips that you may have never thought of, tips to help continue mowing injury-free for decades to come.
1 .Wear Proper Footwear
Sandals are not proper footwear for mowing the lawn. The reason sandals are a poor choice is that they’re less stable, and a trip, slip or stumble could cause you to come in contact with moving or hot parts. Sandals also increase the odds of pinching or stubbing a toe when mounting a riding mower or zero-turn mower.
2. Avoid Yard Missiles
If you prefer non-shattered windows on your home and neighbor’s car, then pick up stones, branches, toys, sprinklers and other items before you start mowing. And if you do miss something and notice it while you’re mowing, don’t wait until you mow over to the spot. Pick it up right away.
3. Don’t Pull Backward
Whenever possible, try not to pull a lawn mower toward you. If you slip, you could end up pulling the mower right on top of you. This is a real and serious hazard.
4. Remove the Spark Plug before Changing Blades
Always remove the spark plug when working on the blade. If the piston happens to be at the top of the compression stroke, a little bump to the blade might force the piston over the “hump” and into the power stroke. This could cause the blade to lurch forward, possibly whacking your hand in the process!
5. Mind the Hills
Most riding lawn mowers are more likely to tip over sideways than forward or back, so mow up and down the hill. Mow hills side to side with push mowers. That way, if you do slip, you won’t fall toward the mower or have the mower roll back at you. Also, mowing wet grass on hills increases your chance of having an accident no matter which type of machine you’re using.
6. Wear Hearing Protection
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, listening to sounds over 85 decibels for extended time periods can cause hearing damage. Lawn mowers can produce more than 100 decibels.
7. Keep Clear of Moving Blades
If the blades are spinning, don’t unclog the chute, adjust the wheel height, inspect the blades or do anything that would bring your appendages in harm’s way. The reasons are pretty obvious. And never disable the kill switch or tie down the safety lever.
Keep safe this season and following these tips!
