1. Wear the correct clothing: By their very nature lawn mowers move the ground and can throw stones and small objects back at you. Ensure you wear long trousers to protect your legs and other protective equipment like gloves. For extremely loud lawn mowers you should consider wearing ear plugs or protective hearing aids to protect your ears.
2. Wear shoes: We have all done it, but cutting the grass in nothing but flip flops or even worse nothing at all can have disastrous consequences. One slip and you could lose a toe or two! Always wear shoes to protect your feet.
3. Slopes: If you have to cut the grass on a verge or slope, always mow walking across the slope. By avoiding cutting the grass by going up and down the slope, you remove the risk of losing control of the lawn mower and having it run you over.
4. Push don’t pull: By pushing your lawn mower around the garden you remain in control of where it goes. You are also guaranteed to be walking facing forward, reducing the risk of you tripping and falling.
5. Avoid wet grass: Do not cut the grass when it is wet. This is particularly relevant when using electric lawn mowers. Remember electricity and water doesn’t mix. You will also reduce the risk of you slipping and hurting yourself in the process.
6. Avoid the dark: Only cut the grass during daylight. By mowing the lawn in the dark you run the risk of tripping and falling and hurting yourself in the process.
7. Avoid alcohol: People are often tempted to fire up the barbeque, have a beer and mow the lawn. A lawn mower is much the same as driving a car, and you wouldn’t drink and drink! Stay safe and avoid alcohol when you are mowing the lawn.
8. Use a socket adaptor: Ensure the power to your lawn mower cuts if for any reason there is an electrical fault. A RCD socket adaptor will automatically stop the power to the machine if there is a power surge etc.
9. Keep hands and feet safe: Avoid cleaning the lawn mower blades with your hands and feet. The lawn mower blade can be sharp and can still turn causing damage to your skin. Use a hard object like a trowel to scrap the debris and clumps of grass from beneath your lawn mower. Before doing any of this, make sure that the lawn mower is turned off.
10. No children: Lawn mower aren’t toys so don’t let your children play with them. Be aware of where they are, when cutting your grass to avoid any unexpected accidents from occurring.