11 Spring Safety Tips!

11 Spring Safety Tips

Of course, we all know how important it is to be safe when doing yard work.  But, it’s always good to be reminded and these 11 Spring Safety Tips are great.

I remember one year my friend’s Dad decided to help her out with her yard work by trimming her hedges with an electric trimmer.  She was inside cleaning and he was outside trimming.  He came inside to tell her he had accidentally cut the extension cord in half with the trimmer and asked if she had another.  I remember thinking when she told me that how dangerous that could have been and I was glad he was ok.  Well, she found him another one and he headed back out to finish trimming the hedges…  in a few minutes he was back…. he had done it again.  We all had a good laugh about it.

With that said here are 11 Spring Safety Tips our local Police department shared with us, hopefully they will help you to be mindful of your safety as well as the safety of others when working outside:

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that consumers take the following precautions to prevent injuries from lawn and garden equipment:

• Dress appropriately for the task. Wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts (to avoid injuries from thrown objects like rocks or sticks), close-fitting clothes and no jewelry (to avoid getting anything caught in moving parts), sturdy shoes with slip-resistant rubber soles, eye protection, heavy gloves (protects hands when changing, sharpening, or cleaning blades), and hearing protection such as ear plugs when using motor-driven equipment.

• Before starting up machinery, remove objects from the area in which you are working that can cause injury or damage equipment, such as sticks, glass, metal, wire, and stones.

• Make sure that safety devices on the equipment are in place and functioning properly before starting work.

• Never let a child ride or operate a garden tractor or riding mower, even if the child is supervised. Teenagers should only be allowed to operate outdoor power equipment if they possess adequate strength and maturity to do so safely. They also should be supervised by a responsible adult.

• Keep children and pets indoors and supervised at all times when any outdoor power equipment is being used. Young children move quickly and are attracted to mowers and mowing activity, especially if they have been given rides on mowers before.

• Never assume children will remain where you last saw them. Be alert and turn off the mower if children enter the mowing area. Use extra care when backing up or when approaching corners, shrubs, and trees.

• Unplug electric tools and disconnect spark plug wires on gasoline-powered tools before making adjustments or clearing jams near moving parts.

• Be sure power tools are turned off and made inoperable if they must be left unattended to prevent use by children.

• Handle gas carefully. Never fill gasoline tanks while machinery is on or when equipment is still hot. Wipe up spills. Store gas in an approved container away from the house. Finally, never smoke or use any type of flame around gasoline or any gasoline-powered equipment.

• Never work with electric power tools in wet or damp conditions. For protection against electrocution, use a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). GFCIs come in several models, including a portable plug-in type.

• Be sure that extension cords are in good condition, are rated for outdoor use, and are the proper gauge for the electrical current capacity of the tool.

Share any Spring Safety Tips you have in the comments below!