December 2007
Mind the machinery while you work
READY WHEN NEEDED
Most two-stage snow blowers now have a clearing tool that unclips from the machine.
Most two-stage snow blowers now have a clearing tool that unclips from the machine.
In 2006, there were an estimated 2,300 emergency-room-treated injuries associated with snow blowers, according to the U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission. Of these, says the CPSC, 1,440 involved injuries to the hand or finger, including amputation.
The typical cause? Users tried to clear a clogged auger or discharge chute with their hands.
Manufacturers have addressed that problem with a handlebar dead-man control that stops the auger and, on two-stage models, the impeller when released.
Many models now include a clearing tool for clogs. Because the tool is stored within easy reach on the machine, it's a strong incentive for safe clearing. A chute-covering guard is another safety measure. While the guard keeps hands out, it makes clearing clogs more difficult.
Whichever snow blower you use this winter, a few basic steps will help keep you from becoming a statistic:
Manufacturers have addressed that problem with a handlebar dead-man control that stops the auger and, on two-stage models, the impeller when released.
Many models now include a clearing tool for clogs. Because the tool is stored within easy reach on the machine, it's a strong incentive for safe clearing. A chute-covering guard is another safety measure. While the guard keeps hands out, it makes clearing clogs more difficult.
Whichever snow blower you use this winter, a few basic steps will help keep you from becoming a statistic:
- Turn off the engine on a gas machine or unplug the motor on an electric model before clearing a clog at the auger or discharge
chute. Then use the clearing tool, never hands or feet, to remove the clog.
- Protect yourself from carbon-monoxide poisoning by starting and running gasoline-powered snow blowers outside, rather than
in your garage or shed.
- Don't wear loose pants, jackets, or scarves, which can get tangled in a snow blower's moving parts.
- Wear ear plugs or other hearing protection, especially with gas-powered models.
- Wait until a gas model's engine is cool before refueling.
- For electric models, use an outdoor extension cord and an outlet with ground-fault-circuit-interrupting protection. Then be
sure to keep the cord safely away from the spinning auger while working.
