10 Lawn Mowing Safety Tips

1. Read: That’s right, you need to read. Read what? The instruction manual to your lawnmower. The manual will list any warning labels you should be aware of, and it’ll cover basic operation. Even if you’ve used your mower a million times, it never hurts to become familiar again with that manual. You might learn something new, something that could be helpful.

2. Checks: What I mean here is you need to check over the mower before you start it up, especially if it’s the first time the mower has been started in some while. Make sure all the safety devices on the mower are in the proper place and working fine. This could save a finger or a toe, or even a life.

3. Pay attention: Keep your eyes open, and don’t allow yourself to drowse while pushing or behind the steering wheel of your mower. It’s easy to do. The day is hot. You’re getting tired. Maybe you’ve even had a beer or two. And that mowing is so monotonous. And the hum of the engine kind of lulls you into a walking near-sleep. Don’t allow this to happen to you. It can cause plenty of accidents. Stay alert!

4. Keep your cool: Mowing is generally done in warmer weather. Especially if you’re older and/or have a history of illness, specifically heart troubles, you need to be careful when mowing in the heat. All that pushing and pulling and sweating can be dangerous for the body. Take it easy. Drink a little water from time to time. Take a rest when your body needs it. Don’t push yourself too much.

5. It’s all in the shoes: Shoes can help save your toes. You don’t necessarily have to wear steel-toed boots when mowing, though it couldn’t hurt, but you should have on your feet a pair of sturdy shoes. Flip flops and sandals are definitely a no-no. Even most tennis shoes and sneakers won’t offer much protection. I’d suggest at the least wearing something leather on your feet.

6. Watch the kids:Children really shouldn’t be using a lawn mower. It’s too dangerous for them, especially young children and especially riding mowers. If possible, keep the kids indoors when you’re mowing or at a safe distance away. And definitely don’t allow a child to drive or ride as a passenger on a riding lawn mower. This should go for pets, too.

7. Don’t pull: This one is easier said than done, but it’s also a matter of safety. Try not to pull the mower toward you. There’s a lot more chances of something bad happening in those situations. The mower could slip and slide toward you faster than you could deal with it. You could lose control and there’s the mower bearing down on you. If you’re pushing the mower away from you, there’s less chance of an accident.

8. Don’t smoke: This one seems kind of obvious, but some people do it anyone. Don’t smoke around your lawn mower. Why? Because there’s gasoline involved! Gasoline and burning cigarettes don’t mix! This is especially true if you are pouring gasoline into your mower.

9. Work only outdoors: Of course the mowing is done outdoors, but other kinds of work done to mowers is feasible inside. But it’s still not a safe idea. If you’re working on your mower, remove the spark plug so there’s no chance to mower could accidentally turn on. If you’re filling the mower up with has, do so outdoors so there’s little chance the fumes could overcome you, possibly causing illness or even unconscious or worse.

10. Clean up the yard: Before you fire that mower up, walk over the area to be mowed. Look for rocks or toys or any other objects that could cause problems. Remember that the mower’s blade is spinning awful fast, and it won’t necessarily chew up everything it comes into contact with. In fact, it’ll likely shoot out at high speeds any larger objects. That’s dangerous, possibly even deadly. And it could chew up your blades or tear up the mower in some other fashion.

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Child At Computer

Child Safety| Computers Causing Injuries In The Home. Many of us own a laptop or a PC that is kept at home. Whilst our best intention is to keep our home accident free and ‘child friendly’, we do from time to time make simple mistakes that could cause a serious injury. Read this article to see how cases of computer related injuries are on the rise. Make sure that you are not one of those statistics.

Computers Causing Injuries in the Home

Computers are everywhere in the home these days — the office, the kid’s room, maybe even on the kitchen table.

And that, according to new research, has led to more people showing up in emergency rooms with computer-related injuries.

That increase has not been slight: From 1994 to 2006, injuries caused by people tripping over computer wires or getting hit by falling equipment rose from about 1,300 a year to 9,300 a year, an increase of 732 percent nationwide.

Children under the age of 5 had the highest injury rate. The leading cause of injury for small children, and for adults over 60, was tripping or falling over computer equipment.

But while most injuries were to the extremities such as the arms or legs, young children were five times more likely than other age groups to sustain a head injury.

“It’s a pretty significant problem, given that computers are in most homes these days and many homes have more than one,” said study author Lara McKenzie, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

The study will be published in the June 9 online issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

From 1989 to 2003, the number of U.S. households with a computer increased from 15 percent to 62 percent, according to the most recent statistics available from the U.S. Census Bureau. Nearly one-third of those had at least two computers.

“There are a lot of safety recommendations for all areas of the home — the bathroom, kitchen, bedrooms, but computers are not mentioned in the literature of the safety world,” McKenzie said. “Yet kids are spending a lot of time on computers, and people are spending a lot of time on their computers or in their home offices.”

McKenzie and her colleagues looked at injury data collected by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. Over a 13-year period, about 78,000 people sustained computer-related injuries.

The annual rate peaked in about 2003, when about 10,000 were injured by computers. The number has since dropped off, possibly because lighter, LCD screens have become more prevalent.

For all ages, the most common acute computer-related injuries were lacerations (39 percent) and contusions and abrasions (23 percent).

Computers aren’t the only dangerous items in the home. A recent study also by Nationwide Children’s Hospital found about 15,000 children a year are treated in hospital emergency departments for injuries caused by furniture tipping.

And since the early 1990s, the number of children injured by falling TVs, shelves and dressers has risen 41 percent.

Recently, former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson’s 4-year-old daughter was accidentally strangled by a treadmill cord.

As much as possible, parents need to supervise their children, said Chrissy Cianflone, director of program operations for Safe Kids USA. Make rooms such as home offices and home gyms off limits.

“We know you can’t watch your child 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Cianflone said. “But don’t have them playing in the home office or the exercise equipment. Have them playing in a safe room that is baby-proofed.”

Of the kids injured by computer equipment, 53 percent of those under age 5 and 41 percent of those aged 5 to 9 were hurt while playing near or climbing on computer equipment, the study showed.

To specifically minimize risk with computers, the machines should be kept on a wide, sturdy work surface that is away from walk areas, according to background information on the study. Organize and secure cords, keep the work space tidy and install safety covers on unused electrical outlets. And anchor heavy furniture or computer components to the wall.

By Jennifer Thomas
HealthDay Reporter

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