What to know before you mow:
National mower safety campaign asks if youth are ‘Mow Ready’?
Warm weather is upon us, and so is grass mowing season. The Childhood Agricultural Safety Network (CASN) urges parents and other supervising adults to ensure that young people are “Mow Ready” before tackling this potentially hazardous job.
Nearly 10,000 child/youth lawn mower injuries occur in the United States annually, with approximately 5 percent resulting in amputation. Despite improvements in engineering and safety features, pediatric lawn mower-related injury rates have remained constant over the past 40 years. Injuries include lacerations, burns and eye injuries. On farms, mowing is often the first job involving machinery that is assigned to young people.
“Before teens tackle lawn care and maintenance, it’s important for parents and guardians to make sure teens know how to properly and safely do it,” said Andrea Swenson, Ph.D., director of the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, which manages the network. “Supporting teens includes adults modeling safe behaviors and providing appropriate supervision.”
The Childhood Agricultural Safety Network’s mower campaign website contains fact sheets and posters for both youth and adults. Both sets of materials include illustrations of key safety topics covering supervision, personal protective equipment, appropriate shoes, child bystanders and debris in the grass.
Among mower safety strategies on the CASN website:
- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that youth be 12 years old and older to operate a push mower, and at least 16 years old to use a riding mower.
- Always wear sturdy, closed-toed shoes. Do not mow in sandals or with bare feet.
- Before mowing, scan the lawn to remove toys, hoses, tools and large rocks — they could become projectiles.
- Keep children and pets out of the mowing area.
- Stay alert to others entering the mowing area.
It’s especially important to prohibit children from riding mowers as passengers, whether blades are engaged or not.
“Giving lawn mower rides acclimates young children to the loud noises of mowers, desensitizes them to their inherent dangers, and converts the mowers from working machinery to a riding plaything in children’s minds,” said Charles Jennissen, M.D., a pediatric emergency medicine specialist and researcher at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. “Many of the children injured as bystanders in our study were approaching the lawn mower to get a ride.”
Jennissen said 73 percent of children injured as bystanders had previously ridden on a lawn mower as a passenger.
CASN is celebrating 25 years dedicated to children and youth growing up safely on farms and ranches. It is a coalition of nearly 250 individuals and organizations. Resources associated with earlier CASN campaigns (including ATVs and tractors) are available online. The Childhood Agricultural Safety Network offers free membership, an online community and use of all campaign materials.
Are Youth Mow Ready Campaign Poster (PDF)