It’s tempting to just pull out the lawn mower or trimmer and get to work wearing whatever you happen to have on. Working in the yard around your home doesn’t seem all that dangerous. Sure, professional landscapers wear protective gear but that’s just because they work with bigger equipment and they’re out working all day. Right?
Not so much. Yard work isn’t too terribly dangerous, but that’s only if you take some common-sense precautions. Mostly this involves wearing sensible clothing and following the safety guidelines in your owner’s manual. That helps guard against injury from the equipment.
However, just knowing how to use the equipment safely isn’t enough. Flying debris kicked-up by power equipment is the main cause of yard work injury. And you can’t prevent that just by using the equipment safely. Even so, most yard work injuries could be prevented by wearing the right kinds of safety gear.
Eye Protection
Wearing eye protection is the number one rule when operating lawn equipment. It’s also the one most Americans ignore. Safety goggles or even sunglasses the wrap around your face and shield your eyes are a must for guarding you from flying debris. And if you’re working with a chainsaw or trimmer that kicks up a lot of debris, you might consider wearing a full face shield.
Hearing Protection
Gasoline powered lawn equipment is loud. And the longer you stay close to loud noises like that, more damage it does to nerve endings in the inner ear. Earplugs or headphone-style hearing protectors prevent this damage. If you don’t want to wear hearing protection, you could use quieter electrical and battery-powered equipment instead of ones with gasoline engines.
Protective Footwear
No matter what kind of lawn equipment you’re using it’s important to have sturdy, close-toed shoes. And if you’re using a walk-behind mower, trimmer with a cutting blade, or a chainsaw it’s even more important to wear sturdy shoes or work boots.
Work Gloves
Wearing gloves protects your hands from injury and it can also give you a better grip on the equipment. Make sure you’re using gloves designed for yard work. They’ll be more sturdy and offer better grip.
Long Pants and Sleeves
Wear close-fitting clothing when working with lawn equipment to keep lose fabric from getting in the way. It’s also a good idea to wear long pants when using any type of lawn equipment. Your legs are generally closest to the cutting end of the equipment and that helps keep them safe from flying debris. You should also consider wearing long sleeves, especially if working with equipment like hedge trimmers where the cutting head is closer to your arms. And when you’re using a chainsaw, you’ll want to wear particularly sturdy clothing such as heavy jeans or chaps designed for chainsaw protection.
Here at Richardson Saw, we care about keeping you safe while you use the equipment we sell. We carry safety glasses, gloves, hearing protection, chaps, and other gear designed to help prevent injuries. And we’ll be happy to answer your questions about proper safety gear as well as help you pick out the type of gear that will be best suited to your needs.
