Snow Blowers - Life Saving or Life Altering? 7 Tips for Safety

February 16, 2021, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

Snow blowers can be valuable tools for clearing heavy snows and have likely saved thousands of people from heart attacks, and thousands more from stained backs and other injuries. They are relatively easy to use and make the job of clearing snow off your driveway and walkways much quicker and easier than shovelling does. Their ease of use is not without danger though.

Many people are hospitalized each year with injuries caused by not operating snow blowers properly. Some sustain life changing injuries. Here are some tips for using a snow blower safely:

• NEVER stick your hands into your snowblower. If your snowblower jams or clogs up turn it off and use a tool to clear the mechanism. There can be pent up torque in the blades and they may start to spin as soon as the clog is cleared.
• NEVER leave your snow blower running unattended. It can begin to move running into someone and seriously injuring or killing them.
• ALWAYS wear eye protection. Ice and snow may be ejected by the snow blower or be thrown back at you causing eye injury or blindness. Be aware of who/what is around you and take care to aim snow away from cars and people.
• STAND SECURELY if you have a pull start model. You don’t want to slip and fall into or under the machine as you start it.
• DO NOT REMOVE SAFETY GEAR it is there for a reason.
• KEEP YOUR HANDS AND FEET clear of all moving parts.
• NEVER LET CHILDREN operate a snow blower.

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

It is important that you review your accident benefit file with one of our experienced personal injury / car accident lawyers to ensure that you obtain access to all your benefits which include, but are limited to, things like physiotherapy, income replacement benefits, vocational retraining and home modifications.