Analysis Of Accidents With Rotary Mowers

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29068, 3 December 1959, Page 19

Analysis Of Accidents With Rotary Mowers

(New Zealand Press Association)

INVERCARGILL, Dec. 2.

A warning to the public of the dangers of relatively cheap motor-driven rotary-type lawnmowers is given by the medical officer of health at Invercargill (Dr. A. H. Paul).

He has made a survey of accidents caused by such mowers and requiring medical attention in the Southland health district during the year ended February last.

Circular letters asking for notification of motor-mower accidents were sent to 61 doctors and notifications of 25 accidents were received from 16 of them. “This suggests that the number of cases notified falls far short of the actual number occurring,” said Dr. Paul in a report on the survey. Of the accidents notified, 13 involved hands, eight involved feet, and four resulted from fly-

ing objects hitting two legs, one foot and one eye. Of the accidents involving hands, one person had to have four fingers amputated, two each had to have a finger amputated, one suffered a fracture dislocation of the thumb, and the others suffered lacerations. In one of the accidents involving feet, four toes had to be amputated, one person suffered a fractured toe, and the others lacerations. Two legs were injured by flying objects, one by a stone and the other by a nail. One foot suffered contusion from a flying stone and one eye suffered from corneal laceration.

Of the 25 mowers, 12 were of one make, eight of unknown origin, and the other five were of different makes. Dr, Paul described three dangers arising from the use of < the mowers.

(1) The mower blades are moving whenever the motor is working, and there is always a ten; dency to adjust the machine with the cutting blade moving. (2) The cutting blade passes close to the sides of the mower and it is comparatively easy for the operator’s feet to come in contact with it.

(3) The rotary machines tend to pick up such things as nails and stones and hurl them with great velocity into the grass catcher, or if there is not one, then usually close to, or at, the operator.