If we asked you to guess what small item in your garden causes more than 5,000 accidents a year, chances are you wouldn’t say the flowerpot.
And we don’t blame you. It’s very surprising to find out the humble flowerpot causes more than 5,300 accidents every year.
However, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), the flowerpot causes much less mayhem than lawnmowers – which hits the top spot. They – or rather the people driving them over sticks and stones – are responsible for 6,500 accidents each year
Then we have the usual suspects: secateurs and pruners causing 4,400 injuries a year, followed by spades (3,600), electric hedge trimmers (3,100), seemingly harmless plant tubs and troughs (2,800), shears (2,200), garden forks (2,000), hoses and sprinklers (1,900) and garden canes and sticks (1,800).
Not even the Royal Family are immune from the odd mishap in the garden. In 2001 Prince Charles sported an eyepatch for an injury reportedly caused by sawing a tree at one of his residencies. It wasn’t noted if the Prince was wearing protective gear like goggles and gloves at the time, but this is the advice issued by RoSPA on their garden safety checklist — definitely worth a read if you’re a keen or novice gardener.
Also, check out Churchill’s garden safety advice on how to prevent accidents from barbecues and garden fires. And, if you haven’t already, think about home insurance cover for accidental damage of garden equipment.