Health and Safety Tips on Raking Leaves

Health and Safety Tips on Raking Leaves Travis Stork: It’s October 1, if you take a look around, it’s not hard to see why they call it fall. Now, of course, we’re talking about leaves. So, they’re definitely beautiful but there are certainly some health concerns that you need to be aware of. So, clap your hands if you raked leaves as a kid or you still do it. So guys, the order is to show them the right way to do this. Andrew Ordon: That’s right. Travis Stork: I do really quickly caution just like when we’ve talked about shoveling snow, when you rake leaves, you need to be careful. 12,000 people a year are seriously injured when they’re raking leaves. You get a lot of back injuries and you know what? People also can get a heart attack from raking leaves. If you're out of shape, this can really give you hard work. So, one of the things I want people to do is remember the weather is cool, you may not feel dehydrated, drink plenty of water. Always bend at your waist, not with your back. One of the things you can do as you're raking, switch from side to side and balance it out. One last little bit of advice before I let Doctor Sears talk about playing in leaves is when the leaves are wet, they’re very slippery. You can fall very easily and not only that, leaves are heavier when they’re wet, so you're more likely to hurt your back. So, wait until the leaves are dry. Jim Sears: That’s a good point and you know what? Piles of leaves can be fun for kids but parents need to remember, kids love to hide in these. There’s been a case where a child’s been hiding in a pile of leaves near the side of the road and the car has pulled over and hit the child. Children had been killed just simply by hiding in a pile of leaves. So, you need to keep your piles of leaves away from the road and just tell the kids to be aware of that. It’s really important. Also, mold spores for people with allergies; mold loves to live in cold, wet, dark areas like in inside of a pile of leaves. So, if you have allergies, you may want to use a mask while you're doing this. Travis Stork: That’s a great point! Andrew Ordon: Good idea! Jim Sears: Yeah. Andrew Ordon: Jim, I have something to say, so I want you to start the bagging right here. Jim Sears: Well, let me put my mask on first. Andrew Ordon: One more point and a lot of parts of the stage are still allowed to burn leaves. I discourage doing that. Burning combustion, you produce hydrocarbons which are toxic which are known carcinogens. For that reason, do yourself, your health and do the environment a favor. Don’t burn the leaves. I have a better suggestion. Do make it into a compost where you put it in the back of the yard, let it set, let it decompose and use it in your garden later to grow stuff. Save the environment. Travis Stork: Composting is a great option and you know what? Remember this, raking leaves, it could be fun and it’s a great exercise. 300 calories you can burn per hour, so have fun with it. Andrew Ordon: There you go.