Operate Lawn Mowers Safely

Even though many people are familiar with using lawn mowers, the machines can easily cause injury to unsuspecting operators. Some of the most common safety hazards are mowing on slopes, mowing over objects, sticking fingers or toes in the blades or trying to fix mowers without sufficient precautions. To make mowing a safe chore, abide by the following safety tips:

• Read the owner's manual. Becoming familiar with the mower is the beginning to using it safely.
• Wear the proper clothing. Work boots or steel-toed footwear protect feet from the blades, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt shield the body from objects the blades might throw, shatter-proof sunglasses or eye goggles guard eyes against projectiles, and earplugs protect ears from loud mower sound levels.
• Check the mower. Make sure all grass deflectors, blade covers and other safety guards are in place. Also, keep blades sharp so the mower is more efficient and uses less power.
• Walk through the area to be mowed, particularly if it is mowed infrequently. Remove any objects that could get in the way of the mower and be flung as projectiles, such as toys, garden tools, sticks, rocks and other items.
• Mow alone. Don't mow when anyone, including animals, is within range of projectiles the mower might throw. Never carry small children as passengers on riding lawn mowers.
• Make sure the operator is safe to use the mower. Children who operate mowers should be physically and mentally mature enough to handle the job. Aging adults should be in good enough physical condition that they can safely operate mowers, especially push mowers.
• Mow in dry conditions. Not only can wet grass clog up a lawn mower, but wet conditions can make the ground unstable for the mower and are particularly dangerous with electric mowers.
• Mow during the day. Never mow at night when visibility is limited.
• Match the slope with the mower. If slopes are too steep to mow with a riding lawn mower, use a hand mower. With riding lawn mowers, mow up and down, preferably only down, the slope. With push mowers, mow horizontally across the slope. This prevents the operator's feet from sliding under the blades if he or she slips. Rear engine rider mowers are fairly unstable and should usually not be used on slopes.
• Follow basic safety precautions. Never leave running mowers unattended. Don't disable any of the safety interlocks. If push mowers have blade safety brakes that must be held down to keep the mower running, don't disable them by tying the levers down.
• With electric mowers that have cords, make sure the extension cords are grounded, always mow away from the cords and unplug the cords when finished mowing.
• Use caution when refueling. Always wait until the mower's engine has cooled before refueling, and never smoke while handling gas. In addition, don't run any gasoline or diesel engine indoors.
• When servicing a lawn mower, be sure it won't accidentally turn on. The mower should be turned off, the key placed in the person's pocket and all spark plug wires disconnected.

SOURCE: Dave Morgan, UNL Safety Engineer