Garden tools and their safe use

Gardening is one of the most popular leisure activities. However, around 200,000 accidents occur in home gardens and allotments every year. In addition to falls and slipped discs, injuries are also frequently caused by incorrectly used or faulty electrical or petrol-powered garden tools. To ensure your enjoyment and, above all, your safety when gardening, it is important to follow a few tips and advice.

Spring check for your garden tools

You should carry out a thorough check before using your garden tools for the first time. Among other things, check whether the appliances have developed flash rust during the cold and damp months and whether this has led to material wear. Replace rusted components, such as saw blades, and check your tools in a safe environment. Also check for any loose contacts or broken cables that may have occurred during storage.

Regardless of the spring check, you should regularly service and maintain your garden tools, as this not only extends the service life of the often very expensive equipment, but also increases your own safety. Always unplug appliances before cleaning, when not in use or when being repaired. In addition to a check before each use, you should also observe the manufacturer's warnings. Safe and harmless storage can prevent many problems and safety risks. If available, store your garden tool in the corresponding transport or storage bag and also protect it from moisture. You can also have your tools checked by a specialist dealer to ensure that your appliances are completely intact.

Proper handling of garden tools

If you are using your garden tools for the first time after a long period of time, for example after the winter, it might be helpful to consult the instruction manual. This will help you to quickly reacquaint yourself with model-specific features. You should also observe other points for the safe use of motorized or battery-powered garden tools:

Only use your garden tools for their intended purpose. Misuse of tools can quickly lead to damage or faults in the appliance itself and have serious consequences the next time they are used.
Use the cable holders attached to the appliances to reduce the strain on the cables.
Only use appliances outdoors in conjunction with a so-called residual current circuit breaker (RCCB), which triggers in the event of a residual current and can thus prevent life-threatening situations. It interrupts the circuit within a few seconds if the insulation of live parts is damaged (e.g. when the lawn mower cable is cut). If there is no RCD in the installation, a PRCD can be used. Such a portable RCD is simply inserted between the appliance plug and the socket outlet.
Only use cable reels and extension cables that are suitable for outdoor use. They must be labeled "protection class IP44".
Do not expose cables and appliances to extreme temperatures. Store your garden tools indoors in winter and do not leave them in the blazing sun in summer.
Equipment that is operated outdoors should be able to be switched on and off from inside.
Observe any other safety instructions provided by the manufacturer.
Before using electric or petrol-powered gardening equipment, remove any foreign objects that could endanger the handling of the tools or damage the appliance.

Serious accidents can occur not only when handling motorized garden tools. Gardening generally involves risks that can be reduced to a minimum with a few simple measures. Do not leave your gardening tools lying around, even if you are only taking a short break. Saw blades, knives and other sharp parts of tools are a source of danger for children and animals and should always be kept in their protective covers. So always keep your garden tidy.

Pay attention to tested safety and quality when using garden tools

Even if garden tools are not in use most of the time, it is essential that they function fully and reliably when they are in use. It is tempting to buy inexpensive tools because they are rarely used. However, garden tools must be robust and stable, easy to handle, safe and electromagnetically compatible. So if you don't want to take any risks, pay attention to safety and quality when buying garden tools. The VDE mark is a reliable safety statement. It has stood for safety and quality in electrical engineering since 1920. The independent VDE engineers subject more than 100,000 appliances a year to an endurance test before awarding the VDE mark. Only with a test mark can you be sure of safe handling and be protected in the event of damage.

Exclusion of liability/disclaimer

VDE Verband der Elektrotechnik Elektronik Informationstechnik e.V. and its affiliated companies (hereinafter each “VDE”) provide non-binding information on consumer protection topics. These publications are intended solely to raise general awareness of consumer protection in relation to electrotechnical products and issues. They expressly do not constitute professional or technical advice. The information is provided the best of one's knowledge and belief without having evaluated the actual conditions at a specific location or of a specific product.

While VDE makes every reasonable effort to ensure that the information is correct and complete, it cannot assume liability nor any warranty (neither explicitly nor implicitly) for the correctness, completeness or topicality of the content of the information provided.

The information may only be applied with the understanding that VDE cannot be held liable for any direct or indirect damage or loss of any kind. The use of the information provided does not release the user from the responsibility for his/her own actions and is therefore at his/her own risk.

Product-/Model-specific manufacturer specifications must be observed.