It's such a routine task that most people don't even realize how dangerous it can be. Mowing the lawn may seem like a simple household chore, but it can lead to serious injuries if you don't take the right precautions.
More than 1,000 Canadians visited hospitals for lawnmower-related injuries between 1990 and 2006.
Timothy Strobel tried to mow his lawn after days of heavy rain and his mower got stuck in the mud near his air conditioning unit.
"I leaned forward to pull the lawn mower out of the grass, and I slipped and slammed my forehead and neck into the air conditioning unit," Strobel said.
Dr. Andrew Peretz treated Timothy and says accidents involving lawn mowers are almost always serious. Dr. Peretz says "We've seen traumatic injuries, the hand stuck in the blades, the foot getting stuck in the blades. Unfortunately those are life changing events."
Consumer Reports found in tests lawn mower blades can travel at almost 400 kilometres an hour. If you run over something like a golf ball it can create a dangerous projectile that can easily travel more than 30 meters. That's why it's important to keep pets and children far away when you're cutting the grass.
A survey also found many people have bad mowing habits. More than half of those surveyed wore shorts while cutting the grass, 14 per cent wore flip flops and 8 per cent admitted to drinking beer or other alcoholic beverages. Researchers also caution against disabling safety features such as a handle that will automatically shut off a mower when you let go.
Common lawnmower injuries
- Lacerations from rotating mower blades
- Burns from skin contact with the engine casing
- Injuries from flying objects ejected by mower
- Being run over by a riding lawnmower
- Electrocution from cutting lawn mower cable
Key Points:
- According to the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program, lacerations (32 per cent) and amputations (16 per cent) account for most of the injuries involving lawn mowers
- The most common injuries involved someone slipping or tripping under a mower (23 per cent)
- May is usually the most common month for lawnmower injuries, followed by June, July and August
- Between 1990 and 2006 a total of 1161 patients visited Canadian hospitals for lawn mower-related injuries (Health Safety Watch)
- In 2004-2005, there were a total of 815 visits to an emergency department and 79 hospitalizations due to contact with a powered lawn mower in Ontario (238 hospitalizations in Canada)
- In the U.S., the statistics are even more staggering. Nearly 80,000 Americans are injured by a lawn mower each year
Lawnmower Safety Recommendations (excerpted from the Canada Safety Council):
Dress appropriately: long pants, long-sleeved shirts, eye and ear protection, heavy gloves as well as sturdy, closed-toed shoes with slip resistant rubber soles. Wear sun protection, a wide-brimmed hat and drink plenty of water.
Never disengage the fail-safe mechanism (dead man switch) found on power mowers. It triggers an important safety feature of stopping the blades quickly as soon as the handle of a walk-behind mower is released or the operator of a ride-on mower falls off of the seat.
Turn the mower off before attempting to examine the blades, dislodge debris or adjust wheel height.
Avoid mowing the lawn when it is wet and slippery.
Do not allow children under the age of 16 to use ride-on mowers and children under the age of 12 to use walk-behind mowers
