Survive Yardwork

Mon, Aug 9, 2010

Uncategorized

By Flea – Be A Survivor

When doing yard work, safety should be the first thing that your routine starts with. I recently had a close call while doing the weed whacking and it just reinforced my commitment to safety going forward. I was doing some edging with the weed whacker and something shot up and hit me in the face right below the eye and actually drew blood. If this piece of debris was about an inch higher I cringe to think what could have been.

The most important safety item when doing almost any kind of work is safety glasses. Mine were sitting on my workbench when the incident happened, great place for them eh? Needless to say that was a wake-up call and they are on my face anytime I am using tools or doing work from here on, I promise you that.

Next item on our safety list are a pair of work gloves. These very inexpensive items will protect your hands and knuckles from getting busted (I stuck that in for Ornery Bastard). Gloves will keep your hands from getting cut, your fingernails from getting filthy and will keep items from slipping out of your hands should you be sweating (which we do a lot of in South Carolina).

Hats are important especially if you have short hair and the sun is blazing. The hat will serve multiple purposes by protecting your from the sun and sucking up sweat and keeping it from dripping into your eyes. I usually wear a military style boonie hat when I am doing yard work because it also protects my neck from the sun.

Work shoes! I caught my wife mowing the lawn in flip flops one day and I wanted to scream at her. You need to wear work shoes of some type to protect your feet and toes from flying debris. While boots may not completely protect you from the lawnmower blade while it is running unless they are steel toe, flip flops won’t do a damn thing to protect you. Proper foot wear will also keep you from twisting an ankle while you are concentrating on your work.

Lastly you really should wear jeans when doing yard work to protect your legs from the sun and all the flying debris. I am guilt of not doing this and I have the scars on my shins to prove it. The debris coming off the weed whacker is so fast that if it hits your bare legs you will bleed.

Well that is it folks these are some simple tips you should follow when you are doing yard work at your house. Your skin, feet, and eyes will thank you if you follow it. Be safe!

…that is all.

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