Timothy
G. Prather
University of Tennessee
How
often do you see small children riding as passengers on lawn
mowers and tractors? Have you ever considered the risks those
children are facing?
A fall
from the mower might result in the child being crushed or
mutilated. Many children are seriously injured or killed each
year in incidents of this type.
Less
obvious hazards include eye injuries and hearing damage. All
engine-powered mowers produce noise levels that can lead to
cumulative hearing loss which may not be evident for years.
Also, objects thrown by mower blades can cause eye injuries.
Finally,
a passenger on the mower has no place to sit and no foot rests,
so the operator must hold the passenger. That means the operator
has only one hand on the controls, and the passenger interferes
with necessary control movements. What happens? The interference
may result in loss of control.
Protect
your kids and yourself. Keep extra riders off mowers and tractors.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not represent
NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears by permission
of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
This
news release was distributed by the University of Tennessee
Agricultural Extension Service, Knoxville, Tennessee 37901.
Publication date: May 1993.
Timothy
G. Prather, Agricultural Safety Specialist, Agricultural Engineering
Department, University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension
Service, Knoxville, Tennessee 37901.
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