Power Driver Lawn Mowers
July 30, 2010
In the 1940’s the power driven lawn mower was seen only on large estates, golf courses, and city parks. Today, it is a standard piece of equipment in many American homes, even where there is less than 500 square feet of grass to cut.
Few of the 10’s of thousands of users realize the potential dangers of the power mower. During the past four or five years an increasing number of accidents and fatalities have been reported in medical journals. IN fact, there was even a paper written in the American Journal of Surgery, entitled “The Menace of the Rotary Mower,” estimated that 10,000 persons are injured each summer in the United States. In a statewide survey, it was concluded that carelessness and ignorance of the hazards involved were responsible for most of the accidents. They found that over 80 per cent of the accidents were caused by gasoline driven rotary type mowers, with gasoline reel type, electric rotary and reel responsible for the rest.
The blades of the rotary mower spin at a speed that is comparable to that of an airplane propeller. They are capable of hurling a stone, an old bone, a stick, a nail, or any other small object at speeds up to 150 miles per hour, and of hurling them long distances. First and second story windows, 75 to 100 feet away, have been broken. A man was reported to have been killed by a piece of wire, thrown by the whirling blades, that had pierced his heart. Many toes and feet have been amputated when they were protruding under the mower, as the operator started it, or when the mower slipped backward on a bank. Fingers have been lost when the operator attempted to remove grass, string, rope, or other debris from moving blades of both rotary and reel type mowers.
Some manufacturers are aware of the potential dangers of power mowers and have incorporated safety devices in their newer and higher priced models, together with warnings to protect the users of their products. However, most of the older and lower priced models are potentially dangerous for both the operator and bystander.
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