Your home can be one of the safest places for you and your family if you put in place the right safety measures. Accidents at homes are usually caused by home appliances and machines, both faulty and those in good conditions. To effectively prevent these accidents, you should involve your family in some of the basic safety measures, especially those involving machines with sharp edges or run-on motors.
Talking about home appliances and machines, you can take a closer look at the lawnmower and the safety protocols you can follow to help maintain your safety and that of your family when in use. There are studies showing that lawnmowers can be dangerous. These machines have been known to explode when they catch fire, or the owner decided to install an unauthorized upgrade. A riding lawnmower is fitted with blades that revolve at a very high speed increasing the chances of the mower grabbing and shooting out projectiles at a fatal speed. This could lead to serious injuries and even death in a severe case.
Here are a few safety measures that your household should take when using the lawnmower to prevent any accidents.
Read the manual
Most people assume the basics of handling a mower, especially reading the manual. As boring as it may sound, take a few minutes from the schedule before using the mower to know how to safely use the machine.
Prepare the space
Your lawn may probably be filled with stones, toys and debris from a previous event. Before getting down to business, take a quick walk around your lawn to pick and remove any substance or object that could be grabbed and shoot out by the machine when mowing. This way, you are able to minimize damage to the machine and effectively prevent any danger to you and any bystander.
Dress for the job
Like every hands-on job, you need to dress appropriately with the right personal protective equipment. You need to consider getting the right gloves, boots and goggles to help prevent any injuries to your body. Always remember to get the correct footwear as this is the most vulnerable body part of the operator. You can also get yourself some earplugs to protect your ears from the prolonged exposure to the loud engine noise.
Ensure safe operation
For a push mower, children under the age of twelve are discouraged from operating, while for riding lawn mowers, children under the age of 16 are not recommended to operate. You should always supervise any child using the mowers to ensure safe operation. Do not carry any passenger on a riding mower as they risk falling off and getting run over.
Keep People clear of running mowers.
When clearing your lawn for mowing, you probably did not get everything out. For that, you need to keep people away to prevent them from being hit by flying debris projected by the mower. The bystanders, especially children, can also be accidentally hit by the mower itself.
Keep in mind stored energy.
Most lawn mowers are capable of storing energy within their drive mechanism. You should be extra cautious when the mower suddenly jams or stalls as there may still be store tension inside the machine. Trying to get any obstruction from the blades could cause sudden movement of the blades, which may pose a danger to the operator.
Keep your fingers out of the machine.
This is probably something no one should remind you of when operating a machine with sharp blades. However, most accidents reported have been as a result of the operator using their fingers to remove an obstruction or fix the belts. When looking to remove anything, switch the machine off first and, even so, use a specified tool or stick to get rid of the debris.
Handle with care
You need to position yourself correctly to minimize any potential accidents when operating the mower. Remember to keep your hands and feet away from the spinning blades.
Always put the safety needs of your family ahead of any shortcuts you are thinking of. Not only lawnmowers pose a safety threat, handle every machine and appliance within your household with care to prevent a visit to the emergency room.