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For about 80,000 Americans, the dream of a white picket fence and a rich green lawn also means a trip to the emergency room.
That's how many people were injured by lawnmowers in 2004, the most recent year for which statistics have been compiled.
A new study out today concludes lawnmower injuries are on the rise. The figure for 2004 is 8,000 more than the average for the previous eight years.
Most of the injuries are to children under age 15 and adults 60 and over. The most common injuries were caused by strikes from debris, such as rocks and branches.
"These are machines with sharp blades spinning at 160 mph just inches away from our feet and hands," said study leader David Bishai of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "Everyone needs to respect the dangers and use common sense."
Among Bishai's suggestions for lawnmower safety:
- Wear goggles, long pants and close-toed shoes with gripped soles
- Clear the yard of debris before mowing
- Keep everyone, especially small children, from the yard while mowing
And, just in case common sense is not your forte, Bishai recommends you "never service the mower while it is running."
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that no one under age 16 should use a riding mower, and no one under age 12 should use a push mower.
"If we would keep the kids off the lawn when mowing and off the riding mowers we could greatly reduce the number of injuries each year," Bishai said.
The study is detailed in the April 2006 online edition of the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
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