Routinely mowing your lawn is necessary to ensure it remains looking nice throughout the year. But it is a job that has the potential to cause you and those in the work site serious injuries. Any safety concerns associated with lawn mowing responsibilities must be ironed out and addressed prior to the day the job is performed. If you want to start delving into the world of DIY lawn mowing with a fuel-powered walk-behind or push mower, here are a number of potential safety hazards you should be aware of.

Rotating blades

You need to avoid any physical contact between you and your equipment's rotating blades because you could suffer serious cuts that may even lead to amputation of your fingers, hands, toes and leg. Always maintain a safe distance between you and your mower deck when the engine is running. If you need to walk around the deck because of any particular reason, be sure to shut off the engine first. Do not put on loose clothing, as it may easily get caught on your rotating blades. Instead, wear close-fitting clothes that are less susceptible to such a hazard.

It is also common for small sticks, stones and other debris found to fly around helter-skelter when you are mowing your lawn. When these things are come into contact with a rotating blade, they easily become airborne and are thrown at great speeds that may cause serious injuries to the equipment operator and others in the site. Make sure to equip your mower with a rear guard to protect yourself and other people against the potential of getting hurt by projectiles.

Fuel

If your lawn mower is powered by fuel, you will need to be mindful of the danger posed by the fuel. Gasoline and diesel are highly flammable and explosive substances that need to be handled with extreme care. Always exercise care when adding fuel into your mower's fuel tank. If there are any spills, wipe them up properly. Never overfill the tank because that would increase the potential of spilling. Also, do not operate your mower when it is running too hot. Excessive heat can cause the fuel to flare up.

Slippery grounds

Avoid mowing your lawn on wet days. Because wet grass is slippery, you could easily lose footing, get trapped on the underside of the mower, or cause the mower to move back towards you. Wet grass also results in clogging of the discharge chute, something that can cause the engine to stop working. These are all problems you can avoid by mowing on a day when it is dry outside.

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