If you’re a lawnmowing professional, you would know better than anyone that a lawnmower is not a toy. A lawnmower is a powerful piece of equipment that needs to be treated with care and respect, in order to prevent (as much as possible) any injury to yourself and/or to bystanders when you are mowing a lawn.
Lawnmower Injuries
In the United States, 75,000 people each year are injured using a lawnmower. Ride-on mower accidents in particular are a concern. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission reports that there have been hundreds of ride-on mower accidents (many involving children) in Australia – with sadly eight of those ride-on mower accidents being fatal.
Lawnmower Safety Tips
The lawnmower infographic below shows ten important lawnmower safety tips you need to know, thanks to the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Anyone who owns a lawnmower would be wise to follow their smart advice:
Additional Safety Tips for Ride-on Mowers
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission gives these additional safety tips:
When Buying a Ride-on Mower:
- Check if it’s made according to Australian Standard AS3792.1
- Buy a ride-on mower whose blades do not cut when the mower is reversing
- Buy your mower via an authorised dealer and ensure it’s working according to manufacturer’s specifications (or, if you’re buying second-hand, have it inspected by an authorised dealer)
When Using a Ride-on Mower:
- Ensure you are suitably trained (and/or you’ve read the mower’s operating manual and any other safety instructions before you start using it)
- Use all of the safety features on the mower
- Wear protective clothing (eg. closed-in shoes, eye protection such as safety glasses or goggles, hearing protection such as ear muffs, long trousers if possible, and any other appropriate personal protective equipment)
- Avoid mowing near bystanders (especially children)
- Clear the area of debris before starting the mower
- Drive slowly and with caution (especially when turning), to help prevent the mower tipping over
- Keep your feet on the mower’s decking
- Mow up and down on slopes – not across
- Check carefully behind you before you reverse in a ride-on lawnmower
- Always completely shut down the blades before getting off the mower for any reason
- Don’t override any seat safety switch on your ride-no mower
Mowers and Children:
- Keep children away from ride-on lawnmowers at all times (they should not be a driver or a passenger, and should not be anywhere near the mower when it is in use)
- Remove the ignition key after each use of ride-on lawnmower and never leave ride-on lawnmowers unattended while the mower’s motor is still running
Stay safe with your lawnmower
Lawnmowers are powerful pieces of equipment. Use them with care and you might just save yourself (and your customers or loved ones) from unnecessary lawn mower injuries.