OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Machine Histories CHOICE MAGAZINE - Rotary Lawnmower Safety - c1968

Hello ODK history lovers

Australia’s Choice Magazine – the Journal of the Australian Consumers’
Association [ACA] - first published in 1960, remains a spearhead for advocacy
of consumer rights.

This May, 1968 edition’s editorial urged uniform legislation regarding health and
safety for consumer products in this country.

This edition is historically important; in that it gives background to the
introduction of uniform design rules for rotary lawnmowers in Australia in 1968.

It is no surprise that an article should appear in this edition titled 'Safety and Rotary Lawn Mowers'.

This is an important article brought about by the opening statement:



Choice first raised this issue in its publications of January and
February of 1967. This 1968 article explains how Australia’s
Standards Association of Australia [SAA] adopted a safety
standard similar to the 1964 North American one.

This article tests four Australian mowers –
the Turner Coronet, the Victa’s Utility and Cortina, and Pope’s De Luxe.
It makes interesting reading!

It’s best you read the article first, before we comment.

TO BE CONTINUED…  

PART TWO – The Article
This article is from my collection and it is in good condition.
As always, I make it available to members for personal use.
I include a high-resolution PDF file for download.

PART THREE – Comment
The devil is in the detail…

Choice says, “a great deal of behind-the-scenes activity” had occurred since
its publications of early 1967. It appears that Choice, itself, acted as a catalyst
for change – with a draft standard agreed upon by the relevant stakeholders
in 1967-68.

Changes in behaviour included the removing of children from rotary mower advertising,
and that most makers were supplying safe operator instructions. Also, dodgy after-
market blades were held to account.

The remarkable statements are these: “… some stores have refused to stock a
dangerous mower called the VICTA Utility,” and “ACA thinks that the VICTA Utility
should be taken off the market.”

Remember that the Utility was Victa’s last remnant of design DNA that
made Victa famous in the 1950s. Maybe because of Choice’s articles, the
1967 Utility would be the last advertised without a ‘ring guard’, afterwards
offering shallow skirt protection against projectiles as standard.



Of course, Victa would get the message; with the introduction of the
ring-guarded, skirted Utilities, and skirted new Specials in subsequent years.

Victa would introduce the “Skilled User Range” in 1972. Everyone followed suit.
The message was clear.

Other equal criticisms included blade fastener design, lawnmower caution
signage, and positive on-off switches. And didn’t the Australian lawnmower
makes take heed! In 1968 Australian lawnmowers became safer.

I know some folk will reject the safety changes made in 1968 –
the argument being that folks take responsibility for themselves and
their children. Here, the Darwin Awards reign supreme.

I disagree. I have researched and recorded enough about mower safety
to realise that lawnmower accidents do occur and are frequent.

The safer we make them, the better.
However, outright stupidity will always find a way.

Here, Australia’s Choice Magazine did contribute in making a real difference.