Lawn Mowing Safety Tips | To Know Before You Mow

Mowing your lawn is one of those “macho” chores that are generally regarded as masculine. The whole idea of crank starting the mower’s petrol engine and getting all sweaty pulling and pushing it forth makes one feel invincible. “What could really go wrong?” you might ask yourself while letting your guard down.

Well, a lot could go wrong. It is not unheard of people losing a finger or two or sustaining other serious injuries while mowing a lawn. For these and other reasons, I am providing this post with lawn mowing safety tips that will keep you from the emergency room.

Safety Tips To Follow while Mowing Your Lawn

Inspect The Lawn

Take some time to walk over your lawn, inspecting stones, sticks, metal bits, or any other materials that might act as projectiles. Do it methodically by starting from one point to the other. Though this activity might be simple, it is crucial to your overall well-being; thus, take your time. Also, avoid mowing wet grass. This is because moisture on grass provides a slippery cushion between your feet and the grass. This increases the risk of you slipping onto the lawn where you will find yourself in harm’s way. The saying,” the early bird catches the worm” holds substance; however, you should avoid mowing early morning in the presence of morning dew.

Study the surface area you’re mowing on

You have to avoid mowing from left to right on an incline with a riding mower. Thus because of the high risk of mower tripping and falling on top of you. However, if you are operating a push mower, stick to the side-to-side method of mowing and avoid top-to-bottom on a slope to prevent the mower from rolling back on you.

And also make sure to turn off the blades when crossing gravel or any surface other than lawn. The mower’s blade must not hit any hard surface other than the turf. Doing so will likely launch some projectiles which can hit your house’s and car’s windows or potentially hitting someone in the worst scenario.

Wear Protective Gear

Wearing protective gear is one of the well-known lawn mowing safety tips. Before mowing, do put on your safety shoes. These will protect your feet from your mower’s rotating blade. Also, make sure you securely tie your shoelaces; otherwise, they would get tangled up in the blade, and you know what would likely happen. Other gears consist of protective goggles, headphones, and long-sleeved work suits. The goggles’ purpose is to protect your eyes from cut grass and dust or other potential projectiles. Deafening sound from lawnmowers poses a risk to your eardrums, which necessitates the wearing of headphones.

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Make Sure There’s None Nearby When Running Mower

Although most people neglect these lawn mowing safety tips, it is so pivotal. Before mowing, makes sure that people are a safe distance away from the activity. These guards against any injuries sustained by potential flying projectiles. And also be careful when mowing near the road. Not only is one a good, responsible driver. In particular, those drinking and driving have impaired judgment, which makes them quickly swerve out of their lane, possibly hitting you while you are mowing. A good practice is to mow your lawn edges when the carriageway is sufficiently clear.

Furthermore, you must also make sure that kids are kept away, preferably indoors, while you mow the lawn. You cannot afford any distractions from these little curious minds. Reports from the Public Health suggest that children up to age 4 are more likely to have foot or lower extremity injuries and are more likely to have amputations than those aged 15 and older. It further recommends that kids should be at least 16 years of age to operate a riding mower.

Switch off the mower if you take a break 

Though leaving your keys in the ignition switch in your mower might feel convenient, especially when you have to go inside to quench your thirst, avoid it. Kids will always be kids, ending up turning the mower on and eventually hurting themselves. And also stop if mower strikes an object. As soon as you hear a thud sound from your blade striking objects on the ground, stop! Proceed to turn the mower off and inspect it. If your blade has been damaged, then put down your tools till it is repaired

Stopping The Engine and Allow It to Cool Before Refueling

Attempting to fuel while the engine is still running, or still hot exposes you to the risk of getting burnt by ignited fuel. In the worst scenario, explosions might occur. Here shrapnel and other metal bits are thrown at you, thus injuring you. Blunders like smoking while the mower’s fuel tank is open have to be avoided because they have similarly catastrophic results. Or use a ground fault circuit interrupter if you are operating an electric mower. It is in your best interest to use a ground fault circuit interrupter so that you prevent electric shocks.

Read The Manual

It has become a norm that people neglect ever taking time to read manuals that come with the mower’s package. Different mowers come with various safety features and mechanisms so that you must understand how these works. The only simple way to do so is by reading that manual so do just that. And do not throw away the user’s manual after reading it but place it in a safe place for future reference. In the event you might happen to lose it, do not stress. Just look for your mower’s model number and quickly search for the manual online. Manual contains all lawn mowing safety tips we may not even mentioned here.

Final Verdict

Ignorance is partly to blame for injuries sustained during lawn mowing apart from unforeseen accidents. However, chances of these occurring are reduced by abiding by the provided safety tips. So take time to assess any safety hazards before kick-starting your mowing.

A good practice is to make yourself a chart with a list of these. Proceed to tick on all the hazards you have checked before mowing. That way, you will not miss anything. If you are not keen to do so, then I recommend that you hire a professional landscaper. Otherwise, keep these lawn mowing safety tips at your fingertips.