Spring Yard Cleanup Could Literally Kill You

Don’t let this happen to you. Ladder-related accidents injure about 220,000 a year. (Image via YouTube)

» Get Patch’s daily newsletter and news alerts.

As you’re rubbing analgesic ointment on your joints and muscles just thinking about that mountain of spring lawn cleanup, “exercising” good sense before you grab the rake might save you some strains, sprains and pains later on.

Gardening is a great spring workout, the American Chiropractic Association’s Council on Occupational Health said in a news release, but after a long winter, your body might not be ready for the bending, twisting, reaching and pulling.

Chiropractors say gardeners should do warm-up and cool-down exercises, just as they would with any rigorous exercises. The back, upper legs, shoulders and wrists are affected by yard work, and performing simple stretches during these periods will help alleviate injuries, pain and stiffness.

But the pain of over-exertion with the rake isn’t the only – or even the most serious – risk associated with yard work.

It literally could blind, maim or kill you, say the helpful folks at This Old House, who listed 11 hazards you might not have considered.

Those chemical treatments that green up your lawn? They might give you cancer, cause birth defects or mutations, and adversely affect reproduction. The EPA has approved something like 200 pesticides for lawn care, so be sure to carefully follow application instructions and read the label carefully.

Chainsaw massacres aren’t just for the movies.The U.S. Centers for Disease control says emergency rooms treat about 36,000 chainsaw-related injuries a year – especially after strong storms that bring down branches and entire trees.

Bees are good, of course, because they’re important pollinators that ensure life goes on. But they also end the lives of about 100 people a year who die from allergic reactions to theirs and other insects’ bites and stings.

Your finger goes the way of unwanted vegetation. Though not as deadly as the chainsaw, about 4,000 people a year are injured with hedgeclippers, and most of the casualties are to the fingers, according to Consumer Reports.

When it’s so hot you think you might die, you just might. According to the CDC, 3,342 people died from heat-related illnesses from 1999-2003, the latest years for which statistics are available. People with a history of cardiovascular disease are especially susceptible.

Lawnmowers can deliver a death knell. Think sharp whirring blades and debris in your lawn that becomes flying shrapnel. A Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health study said the majority of lawnmower injuries occur among children younger than 15 and adults over 60.

Tick attacks. The bloodsuckers will soon be on the move in Michigan, and the blacklegged ticks are known carriers of Lyme disease, which can spread to your nervous system, joins and heart.

Ladder-related accidents injure about 220,000 people a year. The CDC says falls are the leading cause of death from unintentional injuries, and most of them involve falls. So if cleaning the gutters is on your spring to-do list, inspect the ladder; make sure you’ve assembled the proper tools, including a safety harness if you’re working on upper story windows; have a spotter; move the ladder rather than over-reach; and wear rubber-soled shoes that won’t slip.

Tree plantings and other spring digging activities can result in electrocution if you don’t call your utility company to find the location of buried lines. Call Miss Dig, Michigan’s utility safety notification system

Your cat – or your neighbor’s cat – might make your kids sick if they share a common sandbox. The CDC says Toxoplasmosis, a parasite found in cat feces, is one of the neglected parasitic infections it’s targeting for public health action. So cover the sandbox.

Your yard might swallow you up. Sinkholes aren’t overly common in Michigan, but in areas like Florida, you could – figuratively speaking, of course – fall to the center of the Earth.

Tell Us:

• What did we miss?