84-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, May 30,1998
KIDS AND MOWERS
Can mowing your lawn be
hazardous to your children’s
health? Several recent lawn
mower accidents involving chil
dren under the age of 5,
occurred in York County. They
resulted in loss of limbs, fingers,
toes or injured the eyes.
The whirling metal blade
below the mower deck con
tributes to 70 percent of all lawn
mower accidents. A person can
come in contact with the blade
by slipping under the mower
deck, or reaching into the dis
charge chute before the blade
stops. Lawn mower blades typi
cally turn at 3600 revolutions
per minute, or 60 revolutions
per second. Since most blades
have two ends and rotate at 200
mph, an object in line with the
blade for only one second may be
struck as many as 120 times.
The intensity of the damage
from a blade rotating under
these conditions is equivalent to
a 1.2 pound missile traveling at
232 miles per hour. Bones com
ing in contact with the mower
are typically crushed and the
wound filled with dirt and grass,
making it difficult for a surgeon
to repair.
Lawn mowers often hurl
objects (stones, sticks, etc.) from
under the mower deck especially
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when the lawn is high. Debris
launched from the discharge
chute could puncture the skin or
eyes resulting in serious injury.
Recent design changes to
lawn mowers have reduced but
not eliminated the danger.
Improved guards have helped as
well as the ‘deadman brake’
which stops the blade in three
seconds or less after the opera
tor lets go of the push handle or
gets off the seat of a riding
mower. Some operators see
these safety devices as a nui
sance, and by-pass the device
using a wire or tape. Never
remove the safety device on a
lawn mower.
lb reduce the hazards associ
ated with mowing the lawn,
review the proper use and oper
ation of the mower. Clear the
area under the deck of sticks,
stones and other debris. Keep
children out of the area you plan
to mow, children under 5 years
old and pets are the most acci
dent victims. Wear sturdy
footwear such as work shoes or
steel work boots (never wear
sandals, sneakers or bare feet).
Wear close fitting slack and
shirts to avoid entanglement
under the mower. Make sure all
guards, deflectors, and safety
devices are in place and in work
ing order. Check the fuel level
295 Woodcorner Rd.
Lititz, PA 17543-9165
1 Mile West of Ephrata
717-738-7365
before starting. Do not add fuel
when the engine is hot.
While mowing your lawn,
wear eye protection, pay careful
attention to children playing in
the area, move slowly over
rough terrain, direct the dis
charge chute away from cars,
buildings, and people, look
ahead of the mowing path for
large debris, and look before
backing up.
In addition do not operate a
mower on a grade steeper than
15 degrees (2.5 ft. rise per 10 ft.
run), operating riding mowers
up and down slopes, operate
walk behind mowers across
slopes, never attempt to adjust
cutting height while the mower
is running, never operate on wet
grass, and never pull a mower
up grade while running (you
might slip under the mower.)
If a discharge chute becomes
clogged, shut off the engine and
wait for the blade to stop com
pletely before unclogging the
chute. When servicing the
mower deck or blade, be certain
that the mower is turned off,
and the spark plug wire is dis
connected to prevent accidental
starting.
Farm Safety Camp
For children, ages 8-13 who
live on or visit farms, Extension
is sponsoring a home and farm
safety camp on Friday, July 10
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the York
County 4-H Center. Topics
include lawn mower safety, bicy
cle safety, first aid, com picker
and PTO entanglement preven
tion, tractor rollover prevention
and more. Send a $3.00 registra
tion to the Penn State
Cooperative Extension, 112
Pleasant Acres Road, York, PA
17042.
Information for this article
was supplied by Dan F.
McFarland, Extension Agent -
Agricultural Engineering, Penn
State Cooperative Extension.
Any questions regarding the
Fax (717) 866-7237
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Dairy Princess Pageant
OXFORD (Chester Co.)
This year’s, coronation of the
new Chester County Dairy
Princess will be held on June 6,
in conjunction with the
Cochranville Strawberry
Festival. Excitement is at an all
time high as 10 girls will be pre
sented at the coronation ceremo
ny. Two girls will be competing
for the title of Chester County
Dairy Princess, Michelle Windle
and Cynthia Grossman.
Michelle is the daughter of
Donald and Nancy Windle of
Coatesville. They farm 250
acres, and milk 100 Holsteins.
Shelly will be entering the 11th
grade at Octorara High School,
where she plays field hockey and
is a member of the marching
band and the concert band. She
is also president of her 4-H club,
and active in her church youth
group. Cynthia resides in
Parkesburg, and is the daughter
of Thomas Grossman and
Deborah Simmons. She will be a
senior this year, also attending
Octorara High School. Cindy is a
member of the Sadsburyville
Volunteer Fire Company, vice
president of the Student
Council, and Co-Captain of the
Varsity Tennis Team. Her fami
ly’s dairy, Quakerwood Farm, is
home to 30 milking Holsteins.
Also being presented at the
ceremony will be the new
Chester County Dairy
Ambassadors; Julie
Sollenberger, daughter of David
& Holly Sollenberger of Spring
City, and Erica Lloyd, daughter
of Ronald and Cindy Lloyd of
Pottstown. In addition, a strong
above article can be addressed to
Tom Becker, Penn State
Cooperative Extension at (717)
840-7408.
710 E. Linden St., Richland, PA 17087
MANUFACTURERS OF:
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Door and Wall Systems
Grillwork Sections
Dutch Door Systems
Plyco Doors and Windows
Cannonball Track and Accessories
Fabral Roofing and Siding
Lumber and Shingles
All Types of Fasteners
Over 40‘years of Quality Service
Chester To Hold
A
Phone (71 7) 866-6581
Roof Trusses
Floor Trusses
T/G & V-Groove Decking
team of enthusiastic dairy maids
will be introduced. They include
Elizabeth Brown, daughter of
Kenneth and Katharine Brown
of Glenmoore; Angela Barlow,
daughter of Tim and Phyllis
Barlow of Cochranville; Rebecca
Nolan, daughter of Rob and
Sharon Nolan of Cochranville;
Laura King, daughter of Marvin
and Carol King, also of
Cochranville; Meredith Bailey,
daughter of Barnard and Jane
Bailey of West Chester; and
Erica Laffey, daughter of George
and Robin Laffey of
Cochranville.
Together, the new princess
and her talented court, will be
promoting the dairy industry
throughout Chester County, and
the state of Pennsylvania. The
reigning princess, Melissa
Wertz, will crown her successor.
Festivities will begin prompt
ly at noon on June 6. Steve
Dietrich, Chester County exten
sion agent, will emcee this
lunchtime event! A milk punch
reception will follow the corona
tion. All are welcome to attend
and meet the new Chester
County Dairy Royalty!
Tioga
Pageant
WHITNEYVILLE (Tioga Co.)
The Tioga County Dairy Prin
cess Pageant will be held at Whit
neyville Fair Youth Building on
June IS at 7 p.m. Cost for dinner is
$7.
Contestants with a dairy back
ground are needed. Dairy princes
ses need to be between the ages of
16 to 24 years and dairy maids
between 13 to 16 years.
For questions or reservations,
call Carol Baker at (717)
549-2599.
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of Quality In
Engineered Timber”