Sun hat
fluids and that doesn't mean wine! thats when you have finished! haha
wash hands well before eating (not eating your hands!;o')
deet
sturdy shoes/boots in case you drop something sharp on your foot!
tick watch! not ticking watch! inspect for ticks!
don't smoke and fill the mower with gas! seen it done! after I had retreated a safe distance!
slipping on wet earth or grass, also take shoes off on entering the house to avoid slips on tiles and wood floor! and to keep the house clean, this will score points believe me!

Label anything that might be poisonous in BIG bold writing -- skull and crossbones works if there are teenagers helping. Label "Caution" and the name for herbicides.

If you're in a geographic area where there are fire ants, wear heavy shoes, socks, and long pants. I also spray my shoes with a mixture of orange oil and water -- it repels them. Go barefoot somewhere else.

Watch where you put your hands...snakes don't like to be woken up by random hands.

Wash your hands immediately after working with fertilizer/pesticide and don't handle the stuff when you're sweating hard without gloves.

Some people don't care, but if working with bone/blood meal I wear respiratory protection.

~ tetanus shot update needed??? Yes, I never forget that; not only in the garden but also hiking out in the woods among old rusted barbed wire...
~ mask if working with compost and such and have respiratory ailments Never heard of that...what are the risks with compost?
~ sunscreen I don't usually wear it...pretty soon, my tomatoes will be too tall to allow any sunlight through as I harvest them.
~ gloves for hand protection (yeah I hate them too) Nope, I never wear them and I don't plan to. I like getting my hands in the earth, and thankfully have not (yet) had any injuries related to this
~ rakes and shovels tines DOWN so you don't get head-wacked Shovel tines? Yeah I usually rake with the tines downward
~ hoses staked or coiled to avoid tripping Tripping is no biggie (unless it makes you fall onto your plants!)...But I do coil the hose under the deck so that's not a problem.
~ mower safety As far as I know, yep.

Thanks for the tips.

Heather38 - I don't use deet (bad stuff) or picaridin (really bad stuff)...I just have to tolerate the mosquitoes and kill them by hand when I get the chance. And yes, ticks, I see those on me all the time, hundreds of times every summer.

Already had injury No. 1 for me this year. Hubby was helping me attach trellis wire to post I was crouched down holding the two together and he bent over pulling the plastic slip tie with pliers, I said " give it a good, hard, pull" (it was being stubborn) so he pulled hard, pliers slipped, hit me in the front tooth and split my upper lip. No stitches, no broken tooth, so wasn't real bad, but lip was fat and uncomfortable for a day or two... be careful out there ~~~ :)

I bring my cell phone out in the chest pocket of my coveralls case I have issues and need to call for help. The phone has a camera, so I email photos out, which is nice.

lol...tomacco...you crack me up. =)

In regards to tetanus shots, I could never remember when I got my last one until a friend told me to get one every year that ends in 0. Now, I never forget. That reminds me: I'm due next year.

Brook

I HATE ticks. Yuck. I've been wondering if getting a couple of those dog flea collars and putting them around my ankles over my jeans legs would work? Those awful things seem to be worse this year.

I just bought one of those new OFF clip-on thingies to keep off mosquitoes and flies. Will let you know how it works (I am a major mosquito attractant, but they don't like DH at all - go figure!) West Nile Virus is very prevalent in our area. I can vaccinate the horse against it, but not me.

I do try to remember to not lay the rakes up against something with the tines up, but DH isn't as careful so I have been "whacked" a couple of times. Isn't fun!

Anyway, good advice. Thanks Dave. Happy and safe gardening to you, too!

Speaking of ticks: a really great way to get them off without leaving some of it in you...put dish soap on a cottonball. Hold the cottonball over the tick. The tick will let go of you and get stuck in the cotton ball. A great way to get ticks in hard places like in the hair.

Whenever I find a deer tick attached to me, I pull it out and put a dab of rubbing alcohol or Germ-X and rub it into the bite area. Not sure if that does anything...they say a deer tick must be attached for 24-48 hours before it can transmit any disease.

The tine down advice seems like overkill, and I always prop my tools against the fence (saves your back, you find them easily). But, my vast experience allows me to inform the whole forum that: a rake will whack you good, even if it only travels 30 or 45 degrees. Tine down it is.

Here's one for you folks. Three years ago, I was up on a ladder pruning an overgrown wisteria. You know that just-one-more-inch-and-I'll-have-it-feeling?

No, I didn't fall off the ladder. What I heard and felt was RIP!!! Yep, ripped me a nice hernia. Surgery two days later and about a 6-week recovery that excluded any bending, lifting, stooping or stretching.

Be careful--don't over-extend!

prof

Eye protection when using the weed whacker.

Two years ago I stupidly didn't put the goggles on because I was "just" tidying up a small area before some company came over. Sure enough, a large stone got flipped up and hit me right on the eyeball. It hurt like hell and turned all red where it hit from all the broken blood vessels. I was just dumb lucky not to have been blinded. Lesson very well learned.

We also had a rock get under the lawn mower and get flung out 20 feet through (ie. smashing into smithereens) the plastic cover that flips over the side discharge hole when you're mulching. Very scary. Glad our daughter wasn't close by at the time.

A few years ago I started to get episodes of severe lower back pain, sometimes after working in the garden. Now I work out my abs and lower back at the gym. A stronger core has meant no more back pain. Three cheers for preventative maintenance!

Jon

Safety glasses/goggles when working with a staple gun - I've used mine in the garden to make compost bins and put up string trellis. No matter how careful I am, I always seem to shoot off a staple when I don't mean to (oh, and safety glasses for your helper, too :) ).

And just to second it: Tines Down!! I smacked myself in the face really well last year. I just bruised, but if it had hit me in the mouth, I probably would have knocked out a tooth.

Bellatrix

What safety precautions do you use when spraying insecticides/fungicides? Clothes? Masks? What kinds? Directions often say "use protective gear" but I'm never sure just what that should include.

I try to do some bending and stretching as a warm up to gardening. It cuts down on sore muscles later.

I keep a fold up moveable table or chair near where I'm working and keep all my tools, seeds, etc. there if they aren't in use. Saves tripping on them and keeps me from losing them.

Not necessarily a safety issue, but it is always good to have drinkable water near or accessible in case of heat and hydration problems.

It is a safety issue. I have to drink about 2 liters of water/gatorade an hour in the garden heat just to not pass out. But then I'm fat. :)

I, also, have already had my first garden injury of the year. I was sharpening my machete after cutting up a bunch of onion stalks that had gone to seed. I lost track of where my thumb was (that thing's always getting lost) and sliced it pretty good. I probably should have gone for stitches, but I got the bleeding stopped and now I have to deal with the little edge of the cut hanging up on everything.

Steve

Great post, Dave!

I had to get my tetanus shot a little over a week ago from my gardening injury. I posted about this when it happened, but I was using a staple gun to staple some wire fencing to a 2x4 to keep the rabbits out and stapled my hand. The worst part is that I nicked a nerve and it will take months to heal.

Moral of the story...always be mindful of where your other hand is when using any type of tool. Even a screw driver could slip and give you a good cut if you aren't careful.

Also, I know snakes were already mentioned above, but I had a rattlesnake in my garden yesterday. (very scary!) They are very common where I live, though I still don't think much about snakes when I'm out there...SO, keep an eye out for them. Even if they aren't poisonous, you don't want a snake bite.

skipp - definitely a good tip and a safety issue...my Husband's Grandfather a few years ago had been out working in the garden for a few hours, in 80 degree heat. The dehydration didn't REALLY hit until later, when he was driving in town! He passed out and drove into a parked truck. Thank goodness it wasn't worse. So even though it seems like a simple thing, don't forget to drink that water and take breaks!

...always be mindful of where your other hand is when using any type of tool. Even a screw driver could slip and give you a good cut if you aren't careful.

ragtimegal - this isn't related to gardening, but yesterday I was trying to pry open an empty Bic lighter (dont' ask why). I was using a pocket-sized multi-tool with mini scissors. They slipped while I was prying at the lighter....slipped fast and hard into my finger and made a nice, long opening. Haha....I know what it's like. And it's not even the first time something like that's happened to me. I've done it with pocketknives and kitchen knives as well.

I was chopping off my first cauliflower yesterday, using a steak knife. Darn those stalks are tough! Unfortunately for me, my pinky wasn't nearly as hard for the knife to saw into! My tip? Make sure what you are cutting with is good and sharp and keep your fingers out of the way!

I am skinny but I need to drink lots of water too! if I don't I'll be feeling really badly later. Good advice on the lower back pain too, I went to a chiro and he has me doing abdominal exercises, now the back is much much better. Do your sit ups! (or something equivalent) Also, hats! very important, even if you are dark.

Just one thing that has not been mentioned, remember to wear long sleeves when you are harvesting tomatoes and figs, for those folks that are sensitive to the leaves. I am. Sometimes I forget and ouch! itch, itch and more itch! I am so craving both tomatoes and figs.....Oh wait, I do have dried figs.....;-)

I always keep water and a phone nearby, I do the stretches my chiro reccomends (They DO make a difference!)He knows I'm NOT going to NOT garden, so he likes me to work only 15 min at a time, then rest and see for an hour or so. At least early in the year, til I build up my strength.
I just read an e-mail to tuck a sheet or 2 of BOUNCE fabric softener to your belt loop to keep bugs away! I'll have to try it!

With the rake thing, even with the tines in you can still get whacked. I was reaching for something past mine and stepped on the corner and it still whacked me in the shoulder - not as bad as when they are out and getting it in the head. I've also experienced that one. This is my first year wearing gloves and I can't believe that I spent the last few years without! Having a pair that fits nicely helps a lot.

How many times have you nearly put an eye out leaning over a bed and failing to spot the garden cane sticking up because you're focussing on something else? Gets especially bad when you reach bi-focals age. I don't use many canes but I always check my old Dad has his 'cane toppers' on. They are specially made little clay shapes but any thing can be used. Old pill bottles or Actimel pots work well.

Last year I was trying to pound a stake into the ground for my beans. I was standing on a step stool to reach it and was in an awkward position. I missed the stake with the hammer and instead hit it with my hand. As soon as I hit it I knew it wasn't good. All I remember was looking down at my hand and just seeing blood everywhere. I am really squeamish with that kind of thing so I am lucky I did not pass out right there.

I ran into my basement (leaving a trail of blood as I went) and tried to wash off the blood. It wouldn't stop so I grabbed a dirty old towel (the only thing I could find) I will admit it was not the best thing to use. I went upstairs afraid to look, and when I did I quickly covered it up, so as not to get sick. It wouldn't stop bleeding, so I ended up wrapping it up with paper towels and duck tape and was ready to go back to work. When my husband got home, he took one look at it and said that if I do not get stitches I will have a huge hole in my finger forever.

Well anyhow I ended up getting 5 stitches and was afraid of the hammer for the rest of the year. Lets hope I never do that one again. That was a year ago and my finger still isn't quite right.

Needless to say, gloves are always a good idea, although I still do not use them.

Okay, some things are pretty much my own fault: getting wacked in the head with a rake once or twice a year, getting poison ivy because I was STANDING IN IT as I was spraying for it, various knicks, cuts and scrapes because I wasn't wearing gloves, you get the idea - pretty much laziness and inattention on my part.

Now ticks are another story. THEY COME AFTER YOU. And they're TINY. Lyme Disease is a pretty big deal here (had it in '04 - an awful experience) and it's a MUST to be diligent about checking for them after you've been outside. Just last night I pulled one off my leg. I'm pretty sure it's a small wood tick, but I have it in a sealed bag just in case. I don't know what's more disgusting - finding the tick and extracting it or having to SAVE the things for possible future testing. Gross.

Wow! I had no idea there were so many gardening related accidents. And here I thought it was just me! These are some really good suggestions.

but yesterday I was trying to pry open an empty Bic lighter (dont' ask why)...

LOL! catman- before I even finished reading that I started to think, "I wonder why he was doing that", and then you said "don't ask why"....too funny.

As of this AM - when hunting a garden rooting armadillo with a shotgun, first make sure that the compost tea barrel is not in the line of fire. If it is be sure to close your eyes and mouth.

The barrel was full and proceeded to drench me in very ripe compost tea. I wonder how long it takes to compost an armadillo?

Dave

Oh yuk! armadillo en compost!

Flora - I do that all the time!!!!!! Not just garden "canes" but just plain branches and stems. I'm focused on the one I'm after and then the others suddenly come into focus as my eye is headed straight for it!! Hubby tore a chunk out of his cornea trimming shrubs one year when he walked straight into a branch he didn't notice while heading for one he wanted to trim - actually he didn't even walk straight into it - it poked into the space between his glasses and his face to the side! A VERY painful accident and he's lucky he didn't blind himself!!

I try to watch the garden tools but at least once a year I bonk myself off the head with one, either stepping on it or leaning it up against something and turning my back on it before I'm sure it's going to stay standing and it slides down and bonks me!!

Not a safety issue, but an annoyance - I have to be careful to not snip the cord of my iPod headphones in half as I'm deadheading and trimming. Damn cord always ends up hanging just where I'm cutting as I'm leaning over trimming and fussing with my plants!

Lisa

Digdirt wins!

We use to have a ton of grapevines, they were on a wire that is about forehead high. We took out about half of the grapevines, and now have garlic and raspberries in their place. We never took down the wire though. I can't tell you how many times I have stepped over the garlic and raspberries, and got the wire right in my forehead. Every time I end up with a nice line across my forehead. We keep saying that we need to put some kind of flags, material, or something on the wire to make it visible. But we never have, I wonder how many times it will take us getting a wire in the head before we do something about it. Apparently we just do not learn.

I can think of lots more, I hardly ever come in the house for the night, not bleeding or hurting in some way.

Here's a good one. My niece (she is about 4 years old) once ran full speed into a chicken wire fence, because she did not see it. It was sooooo funny to see the look on her face when she realized she ran into some invisible wall. She just stood there with a look of shock, like what was that? Luckily she wasn't hurt at all. But boy was it funny, I wish I would have had a camera for that one.

On the subject of shotguns. I've made a habit of bringing one with me to the farm. We have lots of birdhouses and way too many cowbirds--for my judgment. My latest amusement is multiple victims with one shot.

Also, sharpen your axe...My father used a dull axe to chop up some wood and it bounced off the wood and somehow hit his shin!!!! He has a scar now that hes proud of!!!! I almost finted!!!!! -cass

I usually take my slip on boots off and leave them on the back porch. Not a good idea to rush out in a hurry and fail to check for things...you know....things...in the boots.

And tonight, I gave the bird netting over my bed a nice tug, forgetting that it was weighted down with retaining wall bricks...which fell off the side of my raised bed and right on the joint of my big toe. My BARE big toe. Yes, I was gardening barefoot. It's just a little 4x8 raised bed right off my patio. Who'd have thought I'd need steel-toed shoes?

I'm pretty sure it isn't broken.

Maybe.

Bagarden, you may want to get a t-post driver for pounding in posts. It is safer and easier.

Zeuspaul

Puh-leeezz wear sun screen!

My swarthy skinned husband always rolled his eyes at the suggestion from me. He rolled his eyes when I saw that mole on his leg and told him to see a doctor. Rolled those eyes clear to the back of his head when I made the appointment FOR him. It was melanoma.

He's fine now, but after 2 surgeries and a 10 inch scar, he doesn't roll his eyes anymore when I remind him to put on sunscreen.

If you don't do it for yourself, do it for somebody who loves you.

So far, no garden injuries for me...yet....

Even though I often garden barefoot, and always without gloves (I will never wear them). I'm more concerned about injury to my plants, which is the reason I'm always careful in the garden...how many people can relate to that? :D

I got two blisters today. They're a matched set - one on each hand, above the thumb. Guess I was using the rake too much. And should have been wearing gloves. My feet are soaking at the moment, but I might have blisters there too. I got tired of getting dirt in my shoes so I shucked the shoes and went barefoot. Bad idea. Now my feet hurt!

I had my first garden related UrgentCare visit today. (Funny, I thought of this thread on the way home). We have a little chicken wire fence around the garden to keep the rabbits out. I went out to do my daily squash bug patrol. As I stepped over, my foot caught the fence and threw me off balance, and I fell on one of the fence stakes (a skinny, rusty stake). Very graceful looking too! The stake scratched the length of my leg and jabbed in behind my knee. I initially thought I might be stitches, but luckily I did not. I'm very thankful, it could have been WAY worse. So be careful out there and be sure those tetanus shots are current! (I am now very current).

That's a painful way to "get current", Joy. At my age grace is NOT something that comes naturally anymore so I'm glad you were able to pull if off. :^)

Dave

I have tennis balls stuck on the tops of all my fence stakes, too many times reaching over the fence (for just one little weed!)and nearly getting stuck in the gut, or scraped on my side...

the biggest safety threat for me is lyme disease [ticks]

Ditto about goggles while weed whacking  also wear work shoes (not sandals) and preferably long pants.

Take the time to reach for the right tool. Last year I bruised a tendon trying to pull a bunch of tough weeds with my bare hands. I often get poison ivy cleaning brush without gloves.

Stand back and keep your legs out of the way doing any sort of chopping or slashing.

Trim fence wires close or bend them back so that they can't poke or scratch.

Kneel to do close-to-the-ground chores (weeding, harvesting, deadheading, catching slugs) rather than bending over and straining your back. Wear long pants so that you don't scrape your knees. (Always have a few pairs of pants that are clean enough to wear and unfancy enough that you don't mind getting the knees wet and muddy.)

Check for bees before deadheading or picking flowers.