Are Your Children Cutting The Lawn With Safety in Mind?

This is an excellent news article from Home News Tribune & Courier News. It is a must read before your child cuts the lawn.

How to stay safe while mowing lawn

By JEFF WEBER
STAFF WRITER

For many families, one of the biggest questions asked each summer is “Who is going to cut the lawn?”

Many families encourage teenagers and in some cases younger children to mow the grass because it gets them exercise, takes up time and helps Mom or Dad with a time-consuming chore. But there are dangers associated with letting a youngster tend to the mower — especially considering the sharp blades that lurk not-so-innocently underneath.

It can even be a hazard to simply allow children anywhere near a mower, especially ride-on models.

Lawn-cutting has been under way in Central Jersey for a few weeks now, and already there have been reports of injuries to children operating these easy-to-use but still dangerous machines.

In the past three weeks, the Pediatric Trauma Team at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital in New Brunswick has seen three children under 10 who needed surgery to treat severe injuries resulting from lawn-mower accidents.

One child was injured after running behind a riding lawn mower his father was operating. The child was injured when he fell into the path of the oncoming tractor after his father had turned the mower.

The second accident involved a child riding on the front of the riding lawn mower. When he fell off, he was run over.

The third incident occurred when two siblings were riding on the lawn mower at the same time. One child fell off and was run over by the tractor. While all of these incidents are accidents, physicians want everyone — especially children — to be careful when operating or being in the vicinity of lawn mowers.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the power lawn mower is one of the most dangerous tools around the home. Each year, approximately 68,000 Americans with injuries caused by power mowers are treated in emergency departments.

More than 9,000 of them were younger than 18. Older children and adolescents most often were hurt while cutting lawns as chores or as a way to earn money to enjoy their summer vacation.

“Mower-riding injuries, which can be similar to farm tractor injuries, cause damage to skin and skeletal structures,” says Samuel Laufer, chief of pediatric orthopedics at the children’s hospital. “The tornado effect of rotary mower blades also causes deeper contamination of wounds. . . . It is better that everyone exercise safety precautions to keep them from happening in the first place.”

Lawn-mower injuries include deep cuts, loss of fingers and toes, broken and dislocated bones, burns, and eye and other injuries. Both users of mowers and those who are nearby can be hurt, so here are a few tips to help prevent lawn-mower injuries to children:

# Use a mower with a control that stops it from moving forward if the handle is let go.

# Children younger than 16 should not be allowed to use ride-on mowers.

# Children younger than 12 should not use walk-behind mowers.

# Wear sturdy shoes (not sandals or sneakers) while mowing.

# Prevent injuries from flying objects such as 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.

# Wear hearing and eye protection.

# Make sure children are indoors or at a safe distance well away from the area you plan to mow.

# Start and refuel mowers outdoors, not in a garage or shed. Mowers should be refueled with the motor turned off and cool.

# Make sure blade settings (to set the wheel height or dislodge debris) are done by an adult, with the mower off and the spark plug removed or disconnected.

# Do not pull the mower backward or mow in reverse unless absolutely necessary, and carefully look for children behind you when you mow in reverse.

# Always turn off the mower and wait for the blades to stop completely before removing the grass catcher, unclogging the discharge chute or crossing gravel paths, roads or other areas.

# Do not allow children to ride as passengers on ride-on mowers.

More information is available by visiting www.aap.org/family/lawnmowr.htm.

from Home News Tribune & Courier News: How to stay safe while mowing lawn