Safety in Your Own Yard, and When to Call Someone

What can hurt you or damage something in your own yard

Most yard work is ordinary, and most of it is safe when it is done in order and with clear stopping points. This page covers the checks I would make before the work starts: digging, lifting stone, power tools, overhead lines, ladders and pruning, deck loads and winter snow. It also says where to stop and call someone rather than finish the job yourself.

If a job needs a second person to hold it, it needs a second person.

Start the walk-round where the yard already is. A lawn that has just been mowed shows the low corners, the edges and the places where a hose or a cord would cross a path.

A freshly mowed front lawn with garden beds and a New England colonial house behind — Begin a yard check with the ground you can see: low corners, edges and where cords would cross.

Before any digging

Make the Dig Safe call first, whatever the size of the hole. The timing rule and what it covers are in the table further down this page.

Work through the hazards in a set order

Lift stone with a second person and a plan for where it will land, and keep hands out of the gap as it settles. Wear eye and hearing protection for power tools, and unplug or disconnect a tool before you change a blade or clear a jam.

Keep ladders, long pruning poles and stone-moving gear well clear of overhead lines. Set a ladder on firm, level ground and keep your weight between its rails. Do not stack stone or soil on a deck, since a deck is built for people and furniture rather than for a pile of material.

Winter and snow

Plan where the snow will go before the first storm. Needham asks a hired plow to push the excess onto your own property, not the street or sidewalk, and the figure is in the table below.

Where to read next for a deck check

A deck is the part of a yard most people stand on every day, so it earns its own check. Start at the steps and the railing, then work outward to the boards and the fixings.

Worth knowing

Older decks may not meet current building codes for railings, stairs and lighting, and an annual check is worth the time. The deck industry’s own safety campaign has a 10-point checklist you can work through. More at the North American Deck & Railing Association’s Deck Safety page.

A man in a green linen shirt sitting on a wooden deck step with a coffee mug, a tidy lawn behind — A deck step and its railing are the first things to look at in a deck check.

The points where I would stop and call someone

Stop before you lift a stone that needs two people or a machine to move. A stone too heavy to tilt safely is a job for a crew with the right equipment, not a test of your back.

Stop when a line, a limb or a ladder could meet electricity. Do not try to clear it yourself, and do not keep working in the same spot while you wait for help.

Stop when a deck needs a structural fix, a new footing or a new railing. Those are permit questions, and the building department decides them, not the look of the boards.

Stop when a digging plan has not been called in. The call-ahead comes before the first shovel, whatever the depth.

Figures to have on hand before you start

Each figure below is taken from the source in its row. Town rules can differ from the one quoted, so confirm the local figure before you rely on it.

Figure	What the rule says	Where it applies	Period	Source
Dig Safe notice	At least 72 hours ahead, not counting Saturdays, Sundays or legal holidays, and no more than 30 days before the dig	Any excavation in Massachusetts, including patio, wall and tree-hole digging	Current statute	General Laws, Chapter 82, Section 40A
Deck guardrail	A guardrail at least 36 inches high on a deck more than 30 inches above grade	Winthrop, Massachusetts, as its building department states it	Undated town FAQ	Winthrop building department FAQ
Snow plow fine	A hired plow should push excess snow onto your property, not the street or sidewalk, and a violation can draw a $50 fine for each offense	Needham, Massachusetts; other towns have their own bylaws	Undated town page	Needham Winter Tips