Wet spring snow often jams snow blowers, tempting home owners to stick a finger into the chute or the auger to clear the clog — leading to about 6,500 snow blower-related injuries every year, including over a thousand finger and hand amputations.
“The impeller is only two inches below the opening of the discharge tube,” says David M. Lichtman, MD, former president of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. “Also keep in mind that many snow blowers are in use today that were manufactured before safety regulations were mandated. Misuse of these machines could be lethal.”
In the early 1970s, the federal government began requiring a deadman’s control or a kill switch on snow blowers. However, some of the old snow blowers, with neither a deadman’s control nor an m-wire, are still in circulation today.
If your snow blower jams:
  • Turn it off.
  • Disengage the clutch.
  • Wait five seconds after shutting machine off to allow impeller blades to stop rotating.
  • Use a stick, broom handle, or chute-clearing tool (about $10).
  • Keep all shields in place. Do not remove the safety devices on the machine. Wear tight clothing, so your jacket, scarf, or pant cuffs can’t get caught in the snow blower’s moving parts. Pull long hair back, too.
If you do stick your finger in the chute and the snow blower cuts it, apply direct pressure to the cut with a clean cloth. If the wound doesn’t stop bleeding in 15 minutes, you haven’t had a recent tetanus shot, or if you lose motion or feeling in your finger, go to the hospital.
Source: American Society for Surgery of the Hand