FACTS

The Primary Hazards Associated with Push Lawn Mowers

1. Cuts and Amputations: The most common and severe injuries involve contact with the mower blades.

• Push mowers can eject rocks, sticks, and other debris at high speeds.

2. Musculoskeletal Injuries: A push mower involves repetitive motion and physical exertion, which can lead to strains and sprains.
3. Burns: Contact with the hot engine or exhaust parts of the mower can cause burns.
4. Hearing Damage: Prolonged use of lawn mowers can lead to hearing loss due.
5. Respiratory Issues: Mowing can stir up dust, pollen, potentially leading to respiratory problems.
6. Slip and Fall Hazards: Mowing wet grass can create slippery conditions, risking slips and falls.

STATS

USA

• Each year, approximately 80,000 people in the USA are treated in emergency rooms for lawn mower-related injuries. Of these, around 37,000 involve power mowers, including push lawn mowers.
• LawnStarter’s data analysis shows that in the past decade, U.S. emergency rooms reported an estimated 3,195,333 injuries tied to lawn and gardening equipment. That amounts to an average of 319,533 per year or a little over 875 per day.
• Over a decade, nearly 3.2 million lawn and garden injuries were reported, averaging over 26,000 injuries per month. Equipment such as garden hoses and chainsaws accounted for 73% of these injuries, while lawn mowers were associated with 27% of injuries, with 11.1% of lawn mower injuries requiring hospitalization.
• Approximately 75,000 individuals are injured in lawn mower accidents each year, with push mowers being a common cause of these injuries.

CANADA

• The rate of lawn mower accidents in Canada is approximately 57 per 100,000 hospital records.
• Around 26% of lawn mower accidents involve lacerations to the hands or feet due to contact with the blades.
• There were 512 unintentional lawn mower-related injury cases reported in Canada, which corresponds to 57.0 cases per 100,000 eCHIRPP records. The majority of these injuries were more common among adults, particularly those aged 50 to 64 years, and 75.7% of the injured individuals were male.