Choosing the right safety equipment when using petrol hedge trimmers
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by: Lee H Phillips
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Word Count: 582
Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2011 Time: 3:27 PM
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It is always important when using garden and DIY tools like the petrol hedge trimmers to be aware of the safety equipment that needs to be worn and that you need to be careful when cutting your hedges. Owners of a petrol hedge trimmer need to read the instruction guide carefully and make sure they know how to use one, and all the safety guidelines that are involved. Another key thing to establish early is not to have any distractions as this could both be off putting and potentially dangerous to yourself and those around you. Therefore, the customer needs to be aware of several types of safety equipment and these include:
Hand guards shield both sides of front and rear handle. These hand guards are plastic. This is safe as it prevents the user from touching the blade as well as protecting hands from cuttings from the hedges or anything which may fall out of the hedges in between.
Safety goggles are needed because of the possibility of flying objects when cutting the hedge. It is important, even for people who wear spectacles, to wear goggles as they completely protect your eyes from these flying pieces. Safety goggles should really be the first port of call as it is more than likely that hedges when cut by the petrol hedge trimmer will be flying off all over the place.
Ear protectors help protect your hearing from the loudness of the petrol hedge trimmer; it makes more noise than its electric counterpart, so it is important to protect your hearing.
There are also safety locks that help protect you when it has stopped running, so therefore stops you from accidentally setting it off. The throttle lock switch is a safety lock that prevents accidental throttle lock engagement. This means you cannot accidentally set it off by brushing against it, as the throttle lock protects you and the machine. This is also quite demanding on your hands so anti-vibration protection protects you from hand fatigue.
There are also other safety equipment and general concerns which need to be kept in mind. The blade lock prevents the blade from moving when the engine is moving, preventing possibility of serious injury. This is done by a lever on the handle on the rear of the trimmer. In general the customer needs to make sure the engine has stopped before the blades can be cleaned. It is very dangerous if the engine is still running and you decide to touch the blades - even if you think you have stopped the engine double check before attempting to clean the blades.
When using a petrol hedge trimmer you also need to make sure that everything is out of the way, you do not want anything loose as it could disrupt the machine. In some cases you may also need to use a stepladder. These need to be kept safe and safely attached when assembled especially when getting to high hedges.
It is important therefore to be aware of choosing the right safety equipment when using a petrol hedge trimmer. You need eye and ear protection and strong and supported ladders to cut particularly high hedges, you need to know where all the safety areas on the handle are and undertake hedge trimming in a quiet and focused environment.
About the Author
Lee H Phillips from Cambridgeshire writes exclusively for the DIY and home improvement industry. Lee often provides online reviews, news stories and articles on products such as, power tools, garden tools and petrol lawnmowers.
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