General Handheld Safety Tips
- Wear safety glasses or goggles that meet current health and safety standards and are marked as such.
- Wear ear/hearing protection when operating and wear a face mask or covering if the operation is dusty.
- Wear heavy long pants, boots, gloves, and a long sleeve shirt. Do not wear loose clothing, jewelry, short pants, sandals, or go barefoot. Secure hair above shoulder level.
- Do not overreach. Always keep proper footing and balance. Take extra care when working on stairs, steep slopes, or inclines.
- Do not touch the engine, gear housing or muffler. These parts get extremely hot from operation, even after the unit is turned off.
- Use only original equipment manufacturer (OEM) replacement parts and accessories for the specified unit. These are available from authorized service dealers. Use of any other parts or accessories could lead to serious injury, damage to the unit, and/or void the warranty.
- Never remove, modify, or make inoperative any safety device furnished with the equipment.
- Never store the equipment with fuel in the tank, inside a building where fumes may reach an open flame (pilot lights, etc.) or sparks (switches, electrical motors, etc.).
- The cutting head shield must always be in place while operating the trimmer.
- The cutting head should remain stationary when the engine idles. If it does not, have the trimmer serviced before using.
- Take care when working near valuable plants.
- Be careful when trimming near small stones, rocks, and sticks. The trimmer can throw them in any direction.
- Do not operate the unit without the blower or vacuum tube securely attached.
- During operation, never point the unit in the direction of people, animals, windows, or automobiles. Always direct blowing debris away from people, animals, windows, or automobiles.
- Use extra caution when blowing debris near solid objects, such as trees, walls, fences, etc. When possible, blow away from such objects, not toward them.
- Do not set the unit down on any surface while the unit is running. Debris can be picked up by the air intake and thrown out the discharge opening, resulting in damage to the unit or property or causing serious injury to bystanders or the operator.
- Take care when working near valuable plants. The force of the blown air could damage tender plants.
- Never attempt to clear a clogged air intake opening while the equipment is running. Shut equipment off, remove the tube, and clear the obstruction.
- Keep hair, fingers, and all other body parts away from moving parts and openings.
- Do not drop the equipment, it could damage the housing.
- Do not use the equipment for spreading chemicals, fertilizer, or any other substance that may contain toxic materials.
