My dad was very safety consensus. We knew to stay away from brush mowers that could throw rocks. I am all for smart safety. I learned carpentry safety from my dad. He still has all of his fingers.
A true story about rotary mowers (Bush Hog, I think a seven footer). A local grain elevator manager, a young guy probably about 30 at the time, was standing outside talking to someone while an employee was mowing the grounds around the bins. Not sure how close he was to the mower, but not very close at all. Far enough away he thought he was safe.
He felt something on his stomach like a mosquito or bug bite and slapped it. Tiny spot of blood there but he did not think anything about it. Within hours he was deathly sick and they came close to loosing him at the hospital. Was hospitalized for several days with severe infection.
The mower had thrown a tiny piece of baling wire and it penetrated into his intestine. An intestine leak from a piece of rusty wire is a bad thing, or so they tell me. Like a miniature gun shot.
Thing of it is, he never knew he was hit with the wire. Being outside he just thought it was a bug bite. Did not know anything was wrong till a few hours later he fell deathly sick. I found out about it a couple weeks later when he recounted the episode to me.
Stay far away from mowers that are running. I cringe when I see people mowing their lawns and kids playing within twenty feet of a rotary mower of any kind. Even a lawn mower.
