Lawnmower Safety

Example 1
A seemingly intelligent man decided to outsmart the safety shut-off lever on his lawnmower because he found it an inconvenience when he took the bag off to empty it (This is the lever on the handle of the lawnmower that has to be depressed to keep the mower from shutting off). The man tied a small length of cord in a position that would keep the mower running. This worked fine. Then, since the grass was wet and clumping together, he decided to reach underneath the running mower. He miscalculated where the blades were and lost several fingers.

Example 2
A woman was pulling the lawnmower up an incline backwards when her foot slipped and slid under the mower, which severely cut and fractured her foot.

Example 3
A man was cutting the lawn at the fire hall. Whenever he hit a little bump, the grass-catcher bag would fall off. After shutting off the machine and replacing the bag several times he became ticked off at the inefficiency of it all. The next time he did not shut the mower off. When replacing the bag, he put his hand too close to the blades and cut off approximately half of his finger. Fortunately medical aid and the ambulance were close by.

Example 4
A woman was riding a lawnmower close to a pond where the ground sloped towards the water. The
machine tipped into the pond and pinned her underwater. She drowned.

Although modern mowers have safety features such as safety shut-off levers, we have to remember
that no safety feature is foolproof. Always treat lawnmowers with respect; one second of inattention can lead to serious injury.

People have actually attempted to use their lawnmowers as hedge trimmers. They started the
lawnmower, got a willing person to pick up one side while they picked up the other, lifted the
lawnmower to the desired height and proceeded to walk along the hedge. The danger involved is not worth any amount of time saved.