Start with the two-minute check

Most garden tool injuries happen in the first few minutes of use, usually because someone picked up a machine that had not been looked at since last autumn. Before you pull a starter cord or squeeze a trigger, walk the tool through a short routine. Is the guard fitted and secure? Are the handles free of splits, and are the bolts tight? Does the switch spring back the moment you release it? A hedge trimmer that keeps running after you let go is a machine to be put away and repaired, not worked around. Check the cable or battery for damage, look for oil or fuel leaks, and satisfy yourself that the blade or line is sharp enough to cut rather than tear. Blunt cutting gear is not simply slower; it pushes back at you and tempts you into forcing the tool, which is where accidents begin.

Protect your eyes first

Eye protection is not optional in the garden, and it is the single item people most often leave in the shed. Mowers fling stones, strimmers hurl grit, and hedge trimmers fire off small twigs at speed. Safety glasses to the relevant British Standard will stop most of it; if you wear prescription glasses, choose over-glasses or goggles that fit properly rather than relying on your everyday pair. Keep them clean, because scratched, misty lenses get taken off and never put back on.

A sensible basic kit for most powered garden work:

• Eye protection — close-fitting goggles for strimming and blown debris, glasses for lighter jobs.
• Hearing protection — ear defenders or plugs for anything petrol-driven and for long sessions with electric tools.
• Gloves — snug, cut-resistant where you handle blades or chain.
• Boots — sturdy soles with grip, never sandals or trainers in wet grass.
• Close-fitting clothing — no trailing sleeves, cords or scarves near rotating parts.
• Dust mask — for shredding, scarifying or working in dry, mouldy leaf litter.

If you are using a chainsaw, add proper leg protection and a helmet with a visor. It feels like a lot of kit for a bit of pruning, until the day it is not.

Cables, plugs and the outdoor supply

Mains electricity outdoors deserves respect. Plug your equipment into a residual current device — a 30mA RCD, either built into the socket or as a plug-in unit — and test it with the button before you start. If it trips, do not simply reset it and carry on; find out why.

Extension leads should be fully uncoiled, rated for outdoor use, and fitted with the correct fuse. Coiled leads heat up, and heat is how insulation fails. Run cables along the edge of the lawn rather than across it, keep connections out of puddles, and never handle a plug with wet hands. Check the whole length for cuts, cracks and taped repairs, and replace rather than patch. When you have finished, unplug at the wall before you coil the lead away, and store it somewhere dry. If you regularly use hired or heavy-duty equipment, a 110V transformer adds a useful layer of safety.

Blades, chains and jammed debris

This is the rule that prevents more injuries than any other: never clear a jammed blade, chain or discharge chute while the machine is running, and never reach in with your fingers. Switch off, unplug the lead or remove the battery, and wait. Mower blades and chainsaw chains keep turning for several seconds after the motor stops — often longer than you expect.

• Use a stick, a brush or a proper clearing tool, never a hand.
• For petrol mowers, disconnect the spark plug lead before working underneath.
• Tilt a mower with the fuel cap upwards and the air filter up, or you will flood the engine and spill petrol.
• Keep chainsaw chains sharp and correctly tensioned, hold the saw firmly with both hands, and never cut above shoulder height. Kickback happens fast.
• On a strimmer, fit the guard, keep the line at the right length, and work so that debris flies away from you, windows and passers-by.

Fuel, batteries and the end of the job

Refuel outdoors, with the engine off and cool. Never top up a hot machine, never smoke nearby, and use a funnel to avoid spills on hot metal. Store petrol in an approved container, away from the house and out of reach of children. Battery tools are cleaner but not risk-free: charge them on a hard, non-combustible surface, unplug the charger once the light shows full, and do not leave cells in a damp shed over winter. If a battery looks swollen, smells odd or gets unusually hot, retire it.

At the end of a session, let everything cool before it goes back in the shed. Clean grass and sap from blades and vents, sharpen or replace worn parts, and sheath or remove cutting attachments so nobody catches themselves on an idle machine.

Gardening with other people around

Plan your direction of work so that cuttings and debris go into a border rather than across a path. Keep children and pets well out of range — a good rule of thumb is at least fifteen metres from anyone using a strimmer, mower or chainsaw. Where possible, avoid working alone with a chainsaw, and keep a phone within reach.

Weather matters, too. Wet grass is slippery underfoot and clogs mowers, and slopes deserve slower, more deliberate work. Take breaks, change position often, and stop when you are tired — the last half hour of a long day is when most people make the mistakes that cost them a trip to A&E. A sharp tool, a tested RCD and a pair of goggles take seconds to sort out, and they mean you get to enjoy the garden you have just tidied.