As spring arrives, households across America begin preparing for lawn care work. However, what seems like simple grass cutting actually conceals significant safety risks that cannot be ignored.
Over the past decade, there have been more than 3.2 million garden equipment-related injuries in the United States alone, with approximately 27% of these injuries attributed to lawn mowers. Lawn mower-related hospitalizations alone exceeded 95,000 cases, with a hospitalization rate as high as 11.1%.
These shocking numbers reveal a harsh reality: lawn mower operation is no trivial matter. So, a lawn mower safety checklist is important before you start mowing. It helps you get ready and also keeps you and your family safe from harm.
In this article, we will share simple safety tips for lawn mowers, and help you get ready, do upkeep, and use safe habits. Stay safe and mow smart.
Before You Start: Preparation Steps
Between 2005 and 2015, U.S. hospitals treated around 934,000 lawn mower injuries, according to the National Library of Medicine. That’s about 85,000 cases each year. Most injuries were cuts or broken bones in fingers and legs. In some very bad cases, people even lost limbs.
Sadly, accidents still happen. On August 16, 2025, a 70-year-old man in Georgia lost control of his riding mower on a slope near a lake. The mower rolled into the water, and he drowned.
These stories show a clear truth: getting ready before mowing is not just about doing the job well—it can save lives. To lower risks and make sure your mower is safe, always go through a lawn mower safety checklist before each use.
Here are the lawn mower and riding lawn mower safety checklists:
|
Inspection Item |
Riding Lawn Mower |
Push Lawn Mower |
|
Pre-Start Check |
• Check seat adjustment and seat belt • Verify brake and steering systems • Confirm parking brake function • Check fuel and oil levels |
• Check push handle stability • Verify starter cord and controls • Check fuel and oil levels • Ensure grass collection bag is properly installed |
|
Blade System |
• Check multi-blade combination balance • Verify blade clutch function • Confirm cutting deck has no deformation |
• Check single blade sharpness • Verify blade mounting bolts • Confirm cutting height adjustment |
|
Safety Devices |
• Test seat safety switch • Verify ROP (Roll-Over Protection) integrity • Check emergency stop button |
• Test control lever safety switch • Verify guard integrity • Check discharge chute deflector |
|
Personnel Distance |
• 50-foot clear zone around equipment • Pay special attention to blind spots |
• 25-foot safety distance • Watch for obstacles ahead |
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) & Safe Clothing
Appropriate personal protective equipment is the most direct safety barrier during lawn mowing operations. Let's look at what personal protective equipment includes.
- Head Protection: Wear impact-resistant safety helmets to protect against falling objects and flying debris.
- Hearing Protection:Use noise-reducing earmuffs or earplugs to reduce lawn mower noise to safe levels.
- Eye and Face Protection:Choose safety glasses with side shields to prevent grass clippings and small stones from entering the eyes.
- Respiratory Protection:When working in dusty conditions or exposed to chemical herbicides, wear appropriate particulate or chemical protective masks that meet standards.
- Hand Protection: Wear cut-resistant gloves that not only prevent hand cuts but also enhance grip.
- Foot Protection:Wear steel-toed, puncture-resistant, non-slip work boots to prevent toe injuries from heavy objects or blade contact.
- Reflective Clothing:When working in low visibility conditions or near roads, wear reflective vests to improve personal visibility.
Safe Operation Practices
After you put on safety gear and the right clothing, the way you use the mower matters most. Following these steps can greatly cut the chance of accidents. Let’s look at some safe ways to operate a mower:
- Read and Understand the User Manual
Before first use after purchase, be sure to read the equipment operation instructions, warning labels, and safety device functions in detail, and master emergency shutdown procedures.
- Check Machine Condition
Check that engine oil, coolant, and fuel are at normal levels.
Ensure cutting blades are sharp and free of cracks or chips.
Check that guards, grass discharge chutes, and other safety devices are complete and secure.
Riding lawn mowers require checking that the brake, steering, and parking brake performance are normal.
- Proper Starting and Stopping
When starting, complete the process from the driver's seat with hands and feet in position.
Before leaving the machine, always shut off the engine, disengage cutting tools, and engage the parking brake.
- Movement and Turning
Riding lawn mowers should travel up and down slopes, avoiding lateral cutting.
Maintain steady and slow movement during operation, avoiding sudden acceleration, braking, and sharp turns.
Before crossing or reversing, first observe behind, ensuring no personnel or obstacles are present.
- Foreign Object Handling
When cutting tools are clogged, always shut off the engine first, wait for blades to completely stop, and use long-handled tools for clearing.
Never use hands or feet to directly touch cutting tools.
Handling Fuel, Maintenance & Emergencies
Proper fuel handling and equipment maintenance can reduce fire, explosion, and mechanical failure risks:
- Fuel Addition:Turn off the engine and allow cooling before refueling, avoiding fuel splash onto hot components that could create sparks.
- Storage:Use standard fire-resistant fuel containers, placed in ventilated, cool areas away from electrical sources and fire sources.
- Cleaning: Regularly clean engine cooling fins, fuel filters, and air filters to ensure proper heat dissipation and air intake.
- Emergency Shutdown: Know exactly where the lawn mower emergency stop device is located. In case of danger, you should be able to disconnect power immediately without hesitation.
- Fault Reporting:If you notice oil leaks, unusual noises, excessive vibration, or warning alarms, stop the machine immediately. Do not continue operating. Report the issue to a qualified professional for inspection and repair.
Post-Mowing Cleanup & Storage
After completing lawn mowing operations, don't forget to clean the lawn mower and store it in an appropriate location:
- Grass Debris Removal: Remove grass clippings, soil, and debris from the cutting deck, engine bottom, and discharge chute to prevent humid heat corrosion.
- Machine Inspection:Check blade wear condition, sharpen or replace as necessary; check all lubrication points and add lubricating oil.
- Storage Environment: Store the lawn mower in a dry, ventilated shed, away from children's reach, and keep
- Regular Maintenance: At least once a year, have professional personnel conduct comprehensive inspections, including fuel system, electrical system, and safety device testing.
Why Robot Mower is Much Safer?
Robot lawn mowers are becoming a safer and smarter choice for homes and businesses. Their sensors and automatic control reduce the risks linked to manual mowing.
You can use your phone to monitor progress, set no-go zones, or stop the mower in an emergency. The eufy Robot Lawn Mower E15 also maps your lawn quickly, giving safer and more accurate coverage.
These mowers use sensors to detect pets, children, or obstacles and will stop or change direction immediately. Their small, low-power blades greatly lower the risk of injury if touched by accident.
Boundaries define the work area, keeping the mower away from ponds, roads, or other hazards. The eufy Robot Lawn Mower E18 builds on this with wider coverage and flexible cutting heights, making it safer for larger gardens.
They also run automatically on schedules, so you don’t need to push or guide them, reducing accidents while saving time.
Conclusion
A lawn mower safety checklist is more than just a list of steps. It helps keep you and your family safe. By taking a few safety measures, you can lower the chance of accidents.
You can also pick a robot mower, like eufy’s. These don’t need long safety checks. They don’t throw out sharp debris, and they can’t tip over or hurt the person using them.
With a quick setup on your phone, you get safe, easy, and fully automatic lawn care.
FAQs
What are the safety instructions for a lawn mower?
Lawn mower safety instructions include: Always read the full user manual before you start. Learn what each control does and how the safety features work. Wear safety glasses, hearing protection, long pants, and closed shoes.
What is the most common lawn mower accident?
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says the most common accidents are cuts from blades, flying debris, rollovers, and burns. To avoid these risks, many people use robot mowers like eufy’s. You just set them up with an app, and they mow on their own.
What is the safest age for children to use a lawn mower?
The American Academy of Pediatrics says kids should be at least 12 to use a push mower. For riding mowers, teenagers should be at least 16. This helps lower the risk of serious accidents.
What is the new law in California about lawn mowers?
From January 2024, all new lawn equipment sold in California must be zero-emission. That includes mowers, leaf blowers, and chainsaws. The goal is to keep yards neat while also cutting air pollution.
