Lawn Mowers Are Sending Thousands of Children to Hospitals Annually

School's almost out for summer, which means the kids will be at your disposal for some help around the house. But there's one chore you might want them to steer clear of – literally.

Mowing the lawn. That's because 13 children get treated for lawn mower-related injuries every day – equating to 4,800 children every year, according to a recent study out of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital.

Most of the injuries were cuts (39 percent) and burns (15 percent), with the hand/finger the most common injury spot. More than 8 percent of children injured had to be admitted to a hospital. Those standing nearby or who were lawn mower passengers were four times more likely than those actually operating the lawn mower to be admitted.

The study, which was recently published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine, used data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System for children under age 18. From 1990 through 2014, approximately 212,258 children received emergency treatment due to lawn-mower injuries.

Injuries varied depending on the children's ages. For example, children under age 5 were more likely to be a bystander or passenger, experience a "back-over" injury or get hurt touching a hot surface. Older children from 5 to 17, on the other hand, were more likely to experience injuries like being struck or cut by the mower itself or a projectile.

"Improvements in lawn mower design during the last few decades are likely an important contributing factor in the decrease in injuries," Dr. Gary Smith, senior author of the study and director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital, said in a statement. "We would like to see manufacturers continue to improve design and include additional needed safety features on all mowers."

That said, these injuries are still happening. So what can parents (and some teens) do to be more careful around lawn mowers?

Children ages 12 and above are old enough to push a lawn mower, according to experts, while 16 marks the age where they can use a ride-on device. Adult supervision should take place prior to letting children roam free with any type of lawn mower.

Experts also recommend that children under age 6 be indoors while any mowing occurs. Further, they advise folks operating mowers to always mow forward (or to glance backward if they must put it in reverse) and to know the blades have stopped completely prior to going over gravel roads, to avoid sending rocks flying, for example.

This isn't the first time lawn mower injuries have been quantified. A March 2016 study of 199 children found that 53 percent of those who sustained lawn mower injuries required an amputation.