Avoiding yardwork injuries and accidents

There are a few precautions you can take to help prevent yardwork accidents.

When landscaping, injuries can be avoided with the right safety gear.

If trimming back trees or shrubs, wear protective eyewear and gloves.

While mowing the lawn, never stick your hands in a running lawnmower to free a jam or clog.

Don’t forget to use caution around ladders.

“When the weather turns nice, we’re getting up on ladders to do other things like clean out our gutters, cleaning windows, and you really just need to make sure that you’re careful when you’re on a ladder, make sure it’s placed correctly, make sure you have another individual below holding the ladder as a spotter,” said Dr. Tom Waters, an emergency physician with Cleveland Clinic. “Quite frankly, if you’re going to be up really high doing these kinds of things, sometimes it’s just best left to the professionals, to pay someone to do it for you.”

It’s also important not to overdo it, and lift with your legs.