Spring is here, the sky is blue, the grass is
green and it's time to give that lawn a trim. Maintaining lawn
equipment is an important part of safe lawn care. The lawnmower
is the main tool used for lawn maintenance or yard work and
therefore, it is heavily used by most homeowners.
To keep your mower in excellent condition, do-it-yourself
maintenance is needed at various times. Keeping your mower in
working order is important for many reasons including safety.
Lawn mower-related injuries to children are relatively common
and can result in severe injury or death. Many amputations
during childhood are caused by power mowers. Pediatricians have
an important role as advocates and educators to promote the
prevention of these injuries.
Lawn mower injuries are a seasonal threat to children and the
leading cause of amputations in adolescents, say specialists
from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, Maryland's designated
pediatric trauma center where the most severe injuries are
treated. The number-one advice to parents is: Treat the lawn
mower as hazardous equipment, not a toy," says Carol Gentry,
R.N., pediatric OR nurse manager. "You don't let a child play
with an electric saw, and that's exactly what a lawn mower is.
Each year, lawn mower accidents send 9,400 U.S. children to the
hospital, causing injuries more severe than any other tool or
device, research shows. The most common injuries are
lacerations, fractures and amputations of the fingers, hands,
toes, feet and legs. Most injuries occur when an operator is
unaware that a child is behind the mower and shifts into
reverse, backing over the child.
Careless use of John Deree lawn mowers results in more than
55,000 injuries every year. The devastating nature of these
injuries cannot be overemphasized.
significant proportion results in loss of toes or part of the
foot. Approximately 75 people die from lawn mower injuries every
year.
How Do the Injuries Happen?
• Young children can fall or slip into the operating mower blade
while playing and running nearby.
• Children can be injured while operating the mower themselves
when too young to do so, or when preschoolers and school-age
children fall off a mower while riding with an adult.
• Children can be injured when mowers are placed into reverse
and the operator is not aware a child is behind them.
All of the injuries could be prevented by taking the following
precautions:
• Before operating equipment, familiarize yourself with it and
make sure it is in good working order.
• Never go barefoot while mowing.
• Keep children under 6 years old indoors while a power mower is
in operation.
• Prevent injuries from flying objects, like stones or toys, by
picking up objects from the lawn before mowing begins. Use a
collection bag for grass clippings or a plate that covers the
opening where cut grass is released.
• Designs for mower controls should continue to be improved for
ease of operation and to minimize inadvertent control contact
and unintended operation.
• When a lawn mower cuts off, be extra careful in removing any
objects from the blade.
About the author:
Steve Buchanan writes article for
http://www.lawnmowersfact.com/ariens-lawn-mowers.htm
and
http://www.lawnmowersfact.com/craftsman-lawn-mowers.htm
Article Source:
http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com
How to Take Care of Your LawnNowadays having a beautiful and
well maintained lawn in your house has become a status
symbol. That’s why a number of people have started to
take care of their lawn personally. Everyone likes to
have a beautiful, fascinating and healthy lawn. Today
there are different types of equipments available in
market which will really help you in this work. Besides
this you must be careful while choosing the grass for
your lawn. Not only this, you must make sure that this
type of grass will be right for lawn or not. There are
various factors which may affect your choice of grass
such as your location, availability of the grass etc.
About the author: |