Bloomington Hospital urges lawn mower safety
Bloomington, Ind. (April 14, 2010) – It’s springtime in Indiana and that means Hoosiers are eager to get outside, enjoy the warmer weather and work in their yards. The change in seasons however poses an inevitable risk to children working or playing outside.
“Every year, we see children admitted to the hospital due to carelessness when operating lawn equipment,” says Dana Watters, RN, executive director of Bloomington Hospital’s Regional Center for Women & Children. “Many of these injuries are crippling and yet, preventable.”
Indiana children are not alone. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, each year approximately 9,000 children under the age of 18 are injured by power lawn mowers nationwide.
Bloomington Hospital wants the public to be aware. Common lawn mower injuries can include:
- Amputation of body parts (fingers, toes, arms or legs)
- Deep cuts, damaging skin, muscle and bone
- Fractures of hand, feet, arms or legs
- Head, facial and eye injuries
- Burns from hot mower parts
“Adults and children need to exercise caution and common sense when operating any type of machinery, especially lawn mowers. Good advice is to expect the unexpected and keep children under the age of 12 away from lawn mowers and the mowing area,” adds Watters.
To help prevent injury or even death, Bloomington Hospital recommends the following:
- Never allow a child under the age of 12 to operate a push or riding lawn mower, or a tractor pulling a brush mower.
- Never allow a child to ride on the lap of the driver, on the seat, on the fender or on the housing of a riding mower or a tractor pulling a brush mower.
- Read the operator’s manual for the mower – particularly any safety precautions.
- Never leave a power mower unattended while the engine is running.
- Protect against flying objects by keeping children more than 50 feet (15 meters) away from the operating mower.
- NEVER allow a child in the yard of a riding lawn mower. Too often, a mower can inadvertently back-over and maim a child in the yard.
###
About Bloomington Hospital
Bloomington Hospital, a Clarian Health Partner, has been innovative in providing quality care to south central Indiana communities for more than a century. Offering a comprehensive continuum of care, Bloomington Hospital is a not-for-profit organization and has a patient base of 413,000 in 10 counties (Brown, Daviess, Greene, Jackson, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen and Washington). Bloomington Hospital currently operates two hospital campuses (Bloomington and Orange County) with regional specialty offerings for Heart and Vascular, Behavioral Health, Cancer, Women and Children, Neurology and Orthopedic services. As a leading hospital in Indiana, Bloomington Hospital enhances health by advancing the art and science of medicine through the use of new technologies, procedures and care.