Medical community offers lawn mower safety reminders as weather warms

(CBS 58) – As the weather warms up and summer gets closer, UW Health is offering lawn mower safety reminders to people across Wisconsin.

Dr. Ken Noonan, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison, joined CBS 58 to share more information. Noonan says every year they see very serious injuries related to lawn mowers.

His tips include:

• Don’t start mowing until you know where all kids are, and they should be inside if possible
• If they are outside, tell them to stay out of the yard while you are mowing and/or find a supervisor who is not mowing to watch them
• Never allow a child to ride as a passenger on a riding lawn mower
• Teach children that lawn mowers are not toys and can be dangerous
• A child should be at least 12 years old before using a push mower
• A child should be at least 16 before using a riding lawn mower