Snowblower Injuries to the Hand

Injuries Related to Snow Blowers in the United States: 2002 Through 2008

“…Patients presenting to EDs with snow blower–related injuries tended to be adults, with comparatively few children and young adults being injured. Our analyses of national data on the types of injuries associated with snow blowers tend to expand on and concur with the results of smaller scale case studies that focused exclusively on hand injuries 1–7 . We found that the majority of injuries occurred to the hand, with fractures, lacerations, and amputation being the most common forms of injury.…”

“…Assuming that fractures and amputations are indicative of the most serious injuries attributed to snow blowers, our findings indicate that the types of injuries have not lessened in severity over time. For hand injuries, the most common risk factor has been shown to be using one’s hand to clear wet snow that is clogged in the discharge chute 1–6 . A variety of circumstances have been found to produce hand injuries, including lack of an operator presence control switch and not waiting for the blades to stop coasting once an operator presence control switch is invoked.…”

“…Despite advances in safety standards, snow blowers continue to constitute a serious injury threat. Research concerning injuries related to snow blowers has consisted primarily of case studies that have focused on hand injuries (namely, amputations and fractures), 1–5 which are typically the most serious injuries attributed to snow blowers 6 . Population‐based studies are lacking concerning the epidemiology of injuries associated with this product.…”

“…Findings indicated an annual average of approximately 4,300 injuries, with the most frequent and serious injuries occurring to the hand. Previous case studies focusing on serious hand injuries have shown that the majority were injured while attempting to clear snow from the machine and were subsequently struck by the moving auger blade, resulting in an amputation, laceration, or fracture of the hand, fingers, or both 1–5,7 …”

“…If the snow blower becomes stuck due to an abundance of snow accumulating in the machine (which is the prompting reason to clear the auger), the blade may store up rotational force and rotate briefly once the obstruction of snow is cleared, thereby increasing the risk of injury 2,3,6 . Based on case studies of hand injuries, risk factors and prevention strategies of those injuries have been documented 1–5,7 . The main recommendations include never using one’s hand to clear snow from the exit chute, particularly if the machine is still running, regardless of the presence of an operator control mechanism.…”