Use of flail mowers restricted due to safety risk

Nelson City Council is limiting the areas where flail (or reach arm) mowers can be used to reduce the potential safety risk to the public.

When operating, the flail mower creates a risk that the cutting head comes into contact with a person, or a person is struck by debris thrown out by the cutting head. Either of these could result in serious injuries or death. 

The decision has been made following a near miss where a person came within the projectile range for debris from a flail mower while it was trimming roadside vegetation. The person was unharmed and there was no operator error or machinery fault found, but the investigation highlighted the difficulty of managing safe distance between the machinery and members of the public going about their day-to-day activities.  

The highest risk activity has been identified as when the flail mower is operating while elevated off ground level, and where there is no embankment behind the target vegetation. This represents around 40-50% of the work the mower has been required to do. 

Use of the flail mower has been put on hold in high-risk areas, and alternative options for vegetation management are being investigated.  

This poses a challenge for roadside vegetation control in urban areas; however, it is less of a problem in rural areas where the risk can be more easily managed. 

“While we work out an alternative, it won’t be possible for our contractor to fully maintain high-risk areas,” says Group Manager Community Services Andrew White. 

“We are asking for patience while our teams work out a safe alternative.” Next steps include a project to establish the full extent of high-risk areas around Nelson.