Safety of utmost importance when it comes to mowing

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Sean Johnson
  • 341st Missile Wing Safety
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Yard work is not something most Airmen consider a hobby or interest.

Even with the short window of time, Malmstrom's Airmen have to deal with this annoying inconvenience; mowing just seems to absorb too much off-duty time. It seems the best way to get all the chores like mowing, weed-eating, hedge trimming, weeding, watering, edging and planting done is to tackle it all at once and as quickly as possible.

However, in the past, whenever Air Force Global Strike Command members forgot their surroundings, bad things happened. Adults forget their personal protective equipment and children undertake tasks requiring more skill than they have. As bothersome as yard work is, it's important to know that there are risks associated with it.

While you understand and often hear the positive affects effective use of Operational Risk Management brings, the 341st Missile Wing Safety staff would like to share what happens when ORM is not practiced. In the following paragraphs, Malmstrom personnel should read the scenario and see what they could have done differently to avert disaster.

Scenario #1: Charlie is the guy to get stuff done. From paperwork to vacuuming the office, he puts 110 percent into everything. One day his neighbor asked him to mow their yard while they were going to be out of town. Knowing how much time he could save while mowing two yards, Charlie lifted the mower over the fence. Unfortunately, the mower was still running when he stuck his fingers under the housing and he lost three fingers on his left hand.

Scenario #2: Sarah's husband was deployed the entire summer and she knew the workload was going to be tough while raising her little girl by herself for six months.

The afternoon of the accident shaped up as such: Sarah was mowing the first strip of grass closest to the house while her daughter should have been inside. Unable to see her 3-year-old walking on the other side of the house directly around the corner, Sarah continued on. As unsteady as a 3-year-old is on their feet, it's normal to see one fall while walking in tall grass. Catastrophically, the little girl tripped and her hand went underneath the mower just as Sarah came around the corner of the house. The blades couldn't stop fast enough to keep the toddler from losing her thumb and pointer finger.

Bill Casady, a safety expert from the University of Missouri, relates many disfiguring accidents to lawn maintenance equipment. Projectiles thrown from a lawn mower housing or even picked up by the string of a trimmer can travel at speeds in excess of 200 mph. Most parts of your body can heal from this kind of impact but a strike to the eye or head can be a much more permanent injury. The previous stories are fictional in content but factual in design.

Mr. Casady, a studier of injury statistics, says the most common form of injuries related to yard work come from reaching underneath the mower housing while the blades are turning or being burnt while touching the hot exhaust.

Learning the safety protocol for a particular kind of yard machinery requires a little reading in the owner's manual. Most can attest that the owner's manual, all too often, winds up discarded in the garbage or somewhere else equally inaccessible. According to the customer service experts at Sear's, the best way to learn about safe usage of tools is online at managemylife.com. This is a great resource to anybody with store-bought appliances, tools or equipment. Digital forms of owner's manuals are available for free and, even if it's too difficult to remember the exact make or model, having access to the general safety tips of any similar tool will be well worth the time it takes to read them.

First and foremost, Air Force members should remember that grass will continue to grow long after injured toes and fingers have healed; wear PPE and be aware of surroundings. No amount of risky, time saving behavior is worth an injury. Use ORM to mitigate the risks of using sharp and powerful equipment, and be the best example for children helping with summer chores.