Many falls

Gardening sends 16,000 people to hospital every year

Seven percent of accidents involve motorized or electrically powered equipment such as lawn mowers, chainsaws or hedge and pruning shears. Falls occur much more frequently.

(Bild: Gina Sanders - stock.adobe.com)

Over five million people in Austria are involved in gardening, and on average more than 40 people are injured every day. Falls are the most common cause of accidents. Very serious injuries often occur when working with machines, with the hands suffering most frequently.

"Every year, an average of over 16,000 people are injured so severely while gardening that they require hospital treatment," reports the Austrian Road Safety Board (KFV). 

Broken bones (46 percent), open wounds (25 percent) and tendon and muscle injuries (eleven percent) are the most common types of gardening injuries.

Injuries to hands most common
The hands are particularly often affected, accounting for around a third of injuries. The upper extremities as a whole - from the hand to the shoulder - account for slightly more than half of all cases. The lower extremities, especially the ankle, lower leg, foot and knee, require treatment in 32 percent of all injuries.

Be careful with lawnmowers, chainsaws and co. 
Seven percent of accidents involve motorized or electrically powered equipment such as lawn mowers, chainsaws or hedge and pruning shears. For the safety of children and pets, robotic lawnmowers should only be used when no one is in the garden - but never at night or at dusk when small animals such as hedgehogs or lizards are out and about.

Hectic and carelessness lead to accidents
According to the KFV, most accidents are caused by distraction, hecticness and carelessness. In 60 percent of cases, this results in a fall: "Falls while gardening are mainly caused by slipping or tripping over tools, unrolled garden hoses or cut branches." One in ten gardeners treated in hospital falls from ladders or trees.

Tips for a safe gardening season
Experts recommend functional clothing, gloves and sturdy shoes, wearing safety goggles when trimming hedges, for example, and taking great care when handling a chainsaw: "It's best to use cut protection trousers."

Ideally, ladders should be held by a second person and equipment should be checked for functionality and safety before each use.