Lawnmower Safety

Lawnmowers and other power equipment are among the most common sources of household accidents involving children. Here are some important safety tips that will help keep your yard accident-free:

• Do not allow children to ride as passengers on ride-on mowers.
• Always insist that children play in a different part of the yard, or inside when you are mowing the lawn.
• A child should be at least 12 years old before operating a walk-behind mower, and then should only allowed to operate the mower with proper training and supervision.
• Try to use a mower with a control that stops the mower from moving forward if the handle is released.
• Children younger than 14 years (by some recommendations, 16 years) should not be allowed to use ride-on mowers.
• Always turn off the mower and wait for the blades to stop completely before removing the grass catcher.
• Do not place a warm mower where little hands might touch it before it has cooled down completely.

For more summer safety tips log on to the American Academy of Pediatrics website at: www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/summertips.htm.