Do snow blowers eliminate risk for injury due to snow removal?

Snow blowers were designed to replace or minimize shoveling and to make snow removal easier. Snow blowers have various degrees of effectiveness depending on their design and price. If you use a snow blower it is important to recognize that this machine doesn't make snow removal either effortless or risk-free. Nevertheless, while not as strenuous as manual shovelling (see OSH Answers Shovelling - Snow), using a snow blower remains physical labour that is done in the snow and cold. Snowblowers can indeed make snow removal more efficient particularly where there is a large area to clean. However, snow blowers do not eliminate manual snow shoveling completely. Sometimes a snowfall is too light and sweeping away snow with a brush or shovel is sometimes easier and faster then firing up a machine. Snow blowers also cannot remove the build-up of ice under the snow. How do I use a snow blower safely? Once you decide to use a snow blower, whether your own, borrowed or rented, it is crucial to ...  more