William Penn Life, 2005 (40. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2005-06-01 / 6. szám
HealthPage Easy Rider The do’s and don’ts of riding lawnmower safety by Consumer Product Safety Commission While homeowners generally rely on walk-behind power lawnmowers to cut small plots of grass, many suburban and country residents with large lawns have automated their grass-cutting chores out of necessity. With lots of grass needing to be cut each week, rural homeowners have come to rely on riding mowers, lawn tractors, and garden tractors as indispensable machines for maintaining the landscape. Aside from cutting large swaths of grass, some machines also accommodate a host of attachments to make quick work of otherwise cumbersome garden projects. Although many thousands of homeowners have driven these mowers and tractors for years without mishap, others haven't been as fortunate. Hazards most often associated with riding equipment are blade contact and loss of stability. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 25,000 people are injured in riding mower mishaps each year and that 75 people die each year from such accidents. Fatal accidents have several common patterns: the machine tips over, the victim falls under or is rim over by the machine (accidents involving young children fall in this category), or the victim is thrown from or falls off the machine. The risk of an accident with a ride-on mower is almost twice the chance of a mishap with a walk-behind rotary mower. Many new riding mowers and tractors have new safety features not found on older machines. Under new provisions of a voluntary safety standard which took effect for units made after July, 1987, the following features have been incorporated into new equipment: • Operator Presence Control. This device stops the rotary blades if the operator leaves the control position of the riding mower or tractor without first disengaging the blade drive. This safety feature reduces the chance of injury if the operator leaves the control position to unclog the discharge chute or perform some other activity without first stopping the mower blade(s). • Increased seatback height. New machines have seatbacks of at least 4Vi inches to help the operator maintain a safe position on the machine. • Dynamic turn and sudden traction performance limits have been added to improve machine stability. If you are shopping for a new machine, a label certifying that the mower or garden tractor meets the 1986 ANSI 871.1 standard indicates that machines have these safety features. Safe operating practices for ride-on mowers GENERAL OPERATION This cutting machine is capable of amputating hands and feet and throwing objects that are hit by the blade. Failure to observe the following safety instructions could result in serious injury or death to the operator and/or bystander. 1. Read, understand and follow the safety and operating instructions that are in the manual and on the unit. 2. Allow only responsible adults who are familiar with the instructions and with proper operating procedures to operate the machine. 3. Clear the mowing area of objects such as rocks, toys, wire, etc., which could be picked up and thrown by the blade. 4. Be sure the area is clear of other people before mowing. Stop the mower if anyone enters the area. 5. Never carry passengers. 6. Do not mow in reverse unless absolutely necessary. Bring the machine to a full stop before shifting to reverse. Always look behind before and while operating in reverse. 7. Be aware of the discharge direction and do not point it at anyone. 8. Slow down before turning. 9. Never leave a running machine 6 William Penn Life, June 2005
