Safety News

For More Information:
Bill Harley - bharley@opei.org
Rebecca Hickl-Fiedler - rhfiedler@opei.org
703-549-7600

OPEI Education & Research Foundation Insists: No Kids On Mowers!

Alexandria, VA, January 2006 - The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute's Education and Research Foundation has issued a safety statement warning against children on riding mowers. Giving a child a ride on a mower, even with the blades off, sends the wrong message: that the mower is a fun ride and not a machine with rotating blades that may cause serious injuries.

"Serious injuries and fatalities have occurred from adults giving children rides on riding mowers," states Michael Ariens, OPEI Foundation Chairman and Chairman of the Board of the Ariens Company, a manufacturer of outdoor power equipment. "As an industry, we have invested our resources in ensuring equipment is safe for use by the intended operator. Tragically, adults think it's ok to take a child for a ride on a riding mower when the blades are turned off. It's not. This just gives the child a false sense of security -- he doesn't perceive the mower as a danger but as something fun. And he might come running out the next time mom and dad is mowing, not be seen or heard, and serious injuries could occur."

Riding mower accidents can be prevented. The OPEI Foundation recommends the following safety steps for all riding mower operators:

• NEVER give a child a ride on a riding mower, even with the blades turned off. After being given a ride, a child may run out for another one when you are mowing and you may not hear or see the child. He or she may slip and fall into the path of a mower, dart out from behind an object or be playing behind the mower, unseen by you. These situations can lead to serious life-altering accidents.
• Tell children that riding mowers are potentially dangerous machines, not toys.
• When using a riding mower, children should be inside, under adult supervision.
• Make a family safety rule. When they can hear a mower running, they have to be inside and stay there.
• Look down and behind you before and while backing up.
• Stop mowing and turn off the engine if children or others are near.
• Store and lock riding mower and keys away from children.
• Do not allow a child to play on or around a riding mower.

Remember: the blades of a riding mower rotate at 200 miles per hour. Just as a person wouldn't put a hand into an operating food processor, a person should keep children away from a riding mower to help prevent accidents.

For more information about riding mower and other outdoor power equipment safety, visit the OPEI Foundation web site: http://www.opei.org/foundation/

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) is the leading international trade association committed to advancing the outdoor power equipment industry in the areas of public safety, environmental responsibility, business development and advocacy. In 2005, OPEI established the OPEI's Education & Research Foundation to provide and encourage educational and research activities related to the safe and proper use of outdoor power equipment and its economic and environmental impact on the general public.

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