Snowblower injuries

Abstract

A study was made over two winters in Chittenden County, Vermont of 15 persons injured by snowblowers and 17 neighbors who owned such machines but had not been injured. Twelve of the 15 injuries involved amputation, fracture, or laceration of fingers from contact with an impeller blade in inadequately guarded chutes. Injured persons commonly had less experience (but not significantly so) with their machines than did uninjured owners, but both reported extensive safety-related and other problems with their machines. Better design standards could probably avoid such problems. Safety education and instructions for operators are recommended. A minimum injury rate of 5.3/1,000 machines annually and 4.1/10,000 times used was estimated in this study, but the true rate probably is somewhat higher.