Lawn Mower Injuries
The Facts
Health experts estimate that between 1,700 and 2,000 children in the United States are injured each year by riding power lawn mowers.
During 2003 in Indiana, 37 percent of all lawn-mower related injuries that were serious enough to require hospitalization involved children less than 16 years of age.
Health officials say that children most commonly come in contact with lawn mower blades either while operating the mower themselves when too young to do so, or are preschoolers and school-age children who fall off a mower while riding with an adult.
How Do the Injuries Happen?
- Young children can fall or slip into the operating mower blade while playing and running nearby.
- Children can be injured while operating the mower themselves when too young to do so, or when preschoolers and school-age children fall off a mower while riding with an adult.
- Children can be injured when mowers are placed into reverse and the operator is not aware a child is behind them.
- Rocks or other objects can be thrown by the mower and strike a child, especially in the eyes or the head.
Prevention Tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics
- While the lawn is being mowed, keep others, especially young children, away to ensure their safety.
- Do not allow children younger than 16 to use ride-on mowers. Do not allow children younger than 12 to use walk-behind mowers.
- Use only a power mower with a control that stops the mower if the handle is let go, and be certain this control is never disconnected.
- Make sure that an adult adjusts the blade settings, to set the wheel height or to dislodge debris, and only when the mower is off and the spark plug is removed or disconnected.
- Prevent injuries from flying objects, like stones or toys, by picking up objects from the lawn before mowing begins. Use a collection bag for grass clippings or a plate that covers the opening where cut grass is released.
- Wear sturdy shoes (not sandals or sneakers) and protective eyewear while operating the mower.
- Start and refuel mowers outdoors, not in a garage or shed. Mowers should be refueled with the motor turned off and cool.
Want more information?
Childhood Injuries from Power Lawn Mowers
Indiana Epidemiology Newsletter, April 2004
For more information, contact the Injury Prevention Program
at the Indiana State Department of Health at 317-233-1325.
Or, visit our Website at www.statehealth.in.gov
Information included in this document was obtained from the National Electronic Information Surveillance System, CPSC; American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Indiana State Department of Health, Injury Prevention Program.
