How can I stay safe when I'm gardening?

Every year, 90,000 people have to go to their local emergency room with a gardening-related injury.

The worst offender when it comes to accidents with gardening machinery is the lawnmower. Lots of accidents happen when people clean their lawnmower blades, so remember to wear gloves and make sure that the lawnmower is turned off or disconnected from the mains before you touch the blades. Plus, leave your shorts and sandals inside and opt for strong shoes and long trousers instead.

The seemingly harmless flowerpot is surprisingly the next most dangerous piece of equipment in the garden. A garden fork through the hand or foot is another commonly reported accident, along with snipped fingers, poked eyes, electric shocks, poisonings, falls, trips and slips.

Top tips:

• Make sure that you have a tetanus vaccination every ten years. If you sustain an injury in the garden that breaks the skin, and you're not sure when you had your last tetanusshot, always seek medical attention as soon as possible.
  
• Wear protective clothing while using any electrical equipment (like lawnmowers, strimmers and hedge trimmers) or chemicals (such as fertilizers, weedkillers, insect repellents and paints) in the garden. Good quality gloves, goggles, long trousers, long-sleeved tops and strong shoes are essentials.
  
• Avoid electrocution by always using an RCD (residual current device) when using power tools and equipment. You can buy them from all good hardware stores.
  
• Take care when pruning - wear gardening gloves and always keep your eyes on what you're doing.
  
• Keep your paths and steps level, stable and moss-free to avoid trips and slips.
  
• Don't leave sharp tools lying around or where young children could find them.
  
• Find out which plants are poisonous and keep children and pets away from them.
  
• If you're using a ladder: always face the area you're working on, make sure your ladder is long enough - don't overstretch, make sure it has rubber feet and is securely positioned, keep one hand on the ladder at all times, and never leave tools on the platform at the top.