A week or so ago I saw a story on Today about the rise in lawn mower accidents. They talked a bit about the appropriate safety gear and what is possible if should not wear it. They had a few stories of accidents that have happened as a result of running over things in the yard including people. I was hoping to post the story but was unable to find it.
The following weekend as I went out to mow my yard I gave it a walk through looking for dog toys and whatever else they got a hold of dragged out into the yard. Near the end of the chore I ran over something I had missed. My dogs had gotten a hold of a box of 2" wood screws that were gold in color and laying on a patch of dead grass so I couldn't see them. The pile was pretty big so the mower launched them like shrapnel. Thankfully very few escaped the bottom of the mower and despite tying the record for most days in a row of triple digit temperatures I was wearing pants instead of shorts, high top leather shoes instead of my chuck taylor's and had my gloves and sunglasses on.
The moral of the story is, a good once over before you mow is no substitute for PPE.
I have gone so far as to get tinted safety eyewear. They really aren't that expensive and can be found with other eye protection at most hardware outlets.
ReplyDeleteThe other big hazards I run into with mowing are sun exposure and bugs, so I include sunscreen and insect repellent as part of my PPE.