LAWNMOWER SAFETY (FROM THE AAOS WEBSITE)

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Lawnmower Safety

A well-trimmed lawn can enhance the outside of your property. Keeping the lawn nice and trimmed is not the backbreaking chore it used to be, thanks to lawnmowers.

Though powerful, lawnmowers are also dangerous. In 2007, more than 100,000 people suffered injuries by power, hand and riding mowers. Most injuries are sustained by adults 25 to 64 years old, followed by children under the age of 5 and people age 65 and older. The estimated medical, legal, insurance and disability costs to treat these injuries is $567,000,000 every year and rising.

Each year, thousands of Americans suffer deep cuts and lacerations, sprains and strains, fractures, and even loss of fingers and toes due to improper use of lawnmowers.

The energy transferred by a typical lawn mower blade, for example, is equivalent to being shot in the hand with a .357 Magnum pistol. A lawn mower can eject a piece of metal or wood up to 100 miles per hour.

Most lawn mower injuries that are treated by orthopaedic surgeons are preventable. Therefore, it is important to follow the proper precautions when using these powerful machines.

• According to A 2007 Consumer Product Safety Commission report,
  • Hospitals and emergency rooms treated more than 117,000 injuries related to power lawnmowers, hand mowers, and riding power mowers
  • Manual push mowers accounted for 7,159 injuries; riding mowers accounted for 39,180 injuries; and power mowers accounted for 71,039 injuries.
• Lawnmower injuries most often involve the hand, fingers, wrist, foot, ankle, or toes.
• Lawnmower injuries account for a large percentage of accidental partial or complete amputations.

American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons information from their web site

American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Lawnmower Safety Tips

 American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons POSITION STATEMENT

American Society for Surgery of the Hand Lawnmower Safety Tips

American Academy of Pediatrics Parent Handout

 Baystate Health Systems ( Summer 2005 press release)

 Baystate Health Systems (Summer 2001 press release)

 Consumer Product Safety Commission