CUTTING THE grass may seem harmless enough but an alarming number of fatalities across the UK has prompted Fife Council to ban its workforce from mowing slopes steeper than 15 degrees.

Over the past decade, 143 people are understood to have died at work through cutting grass.

Many of these deaths and additional injuries were caused when mowers overturned on slopes, trapping workers underneath.

Fife Council decided to introduce the ban on its “normal” mowers but say they still have machinery suitable for cutting grass up to 30 degrees.

Jim Hooton, manager for Parks and Countryside, said, “Fortunately, we’ve had no serious injuries here in Fife, although there have been four reported instances of mowers overturning within parks and countryside in recent years.

“Due to the technical limits on the equipment currently used, we have now stopped using grass cutting equipment on slopes which are outwith recommended safe working limits.”

As part of the council’s decision-making process a detailed study measuring the climb of slopes and embankments across Fife was carried out.

Mr Hooton added, “Since completing the assessment and following advice from both the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) and the council’s health and safety advisor, we have ceased to perform grass-cutting operations with our normal mowers on bankings which exceed a 15 degree angle, in order to comply with current legislation and regulations.

“These restrictions also apply to private contractors operating on behalf of the council.

“We do have machines which are capable of cutting bankings up to a 30 degree angle.”

The ban means grass cutting has now stopped on some bankings, something which the council acknowledged could lead to poor maintenance.

However, it is “actively considering alternative options” to avoid this including use of growth retardant on bankings and even buying remote-controlled mowers, keeping the user a safe distance away.

There are also discussions of using, where appropriate, bankings as areas of bio- diversity and the possibility of redesigning slopes to include hard surfaces, seating areas and suitable plant species.