Common Yard Work Injuries
It seems like no matter the season, there is always yard work to do.
In the spring, you trim and prune.
Summer comes with mowing and watering.
Fall means raking leaves.
With winter, you must clear away dead branches and other debris that occur with hail and snowstorms.
However, due to the power tools and machinery often used with lawn care, yard work can actually be a very dangerous activity.
First, one of the most common types of yard work injuries is lawnmower accidents.
In a recent study performed by Johns Hopkins, about 80,000 Americans visit the hospital every year with lawn mowing injuries.
Lawnmowers make trimming the grass quick and easy, but keep in mind they have sharp, powerful blades.
These blades can cause lower leg and foot injuries if they run over a person, and they can also cause lacerations if you reach your hand in the blade area and try to remove debris.
Additionally, the whirling motion of the blades can throw rocks and other sharp objects at people mowing the lawn or standing nearby.
Next, you can also suffer from injuries when you pick up and haul heavy objects such as loads of mulch or rolls of turf.
Operating a shovel for hours can leave your back and arms strained and sore.
Repeated motions, such as opening and closing garden shears, can leave your arms and wrists hurting.
In some cases, these repetitive motions can lead to bursitis, tendinitis, and other musculoskeletal problems.
Lastly, there are other power tools associated with yard work that can harm you.
Electric hedge trimmers have powerful metal teeth that can cut into an unsuspecting person's body.
Additionally, think twice before you haul out your chainsaw to trim away unwanted tree branches.
These powerful devices are capable of amputating an arm or leg.
While it is up to you to exercise care and caution when performing yard work, it falls on the manufacturing companies to create safe, usable tools like lawn mowers, weed eaters, and hedge trimmers.
If one of these items comes with design flaws, manufacturing defects, or other problems, it can result in disastrous consequences.
In the spring, you trim and prune.
Summer comes with mowing and watering.
Fall means raking leaves.
With winter, you must clear away dead branches and other debris that occur with hail and snowstorms.
However, due to the power tools and machinery often used with lawn care, yard work can actually be a very dangerous activity.
First, one of the most common types of yard work injuries is lawnmower accidents.
In a recent study performed by Johns Hopkins, about 80,000 Americans visit the hospital every year with lawn mowing injuries.
Lawnmowers make trimming the grass quick and easy, but keep in mind they have sharp, powerful blades.
These blades can cause lower leg and foot injuries if they run over a person, and they can also cause lacerations if you reach your hand in the blade area and try to remove debris.
Additionally, the whirling motion of the blades can throw rocks and other sharp objects at people mowing the lawn or standing nearby.
Next, you can also suffer from injuries when you pick up and haul heavy objects such as loads of mulch or rolls of turf.
Operating a shovel for hours can leave your back and arms strained and sore.
Repeated motions, such as opening and closing garden shears, can leave your arms and wrists hurting.
In some cases, these repetitive motions can lead to bursitis, tendinitis, and other musculoskeletal problems.
Lastly, there are other power tools associated with yard work that can harm you.
Electric hedge trimmers have powerful metal teeth that can cut into an unsuspecting person's body.
Additionally, think twice before you haul out your chainsaw to trim away unwanted tree branches.
These powerful devices are capable of amputating an arm or leg.
While it is up to you to exercise care and caution when performing yard work, it falls on the manufacturing companies to create safe, usable tools like lawn mowers, weed eaters, and hedge trimmers.
If one of these items comes with design flaws, manufacturing defects, or other problems, it can result in disastrous consequences.
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