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Posted By fats van den raad
If this question has been asked before, I humbly apologise.
Can anyone please help and advise for safely cutting grass on steep embankments.
I have not got the ratio of the bank, suffice it to say that most people would have to go on all fours to get up them. The banks are about 15 foot high at the highest point and there is a narrow flat area at the top and then a chain link boundary fence.
It seems that the grass was previously cut by a landscape contractor using strimmers and hoping that the operators do not fall down.
It has now been decided to carry out this work in house, and the greatest risk is definitely operators falling down the bank with an industrial strimmer in hand.
Any help appreciated
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Posted By stephen d clarke
Hi,
Its a relatively common topic on the discussion forum - try searching grass slopes, inclines, mowers etc
Steve
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Posted By naomi
When I worked for a FM Company we had the same issues, and after risk assessing it would of been easier to leave it!! but it required cutting so the Landscapers would use lines to secure them while strimming the grass, and Crampons to avoid slipping.
The usual automatic cut off switches for the strimmers and gortex trousers.
Not saying this is the correct approach, but these are the controls we had put in place.
Hope it helps
Naomi
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Posted By MikeW Commenting blindly as haven't seen the banks but i would go with Naomi's points. See if you can landline to something secure, if not you can have something simple created into the ground (simply put - a big ground peg). Remember it doesn't need to be costly it just needs to decrease the risk and hold the person should they misbalance-enough to prevent them falling a distance. As an interesting story i'd check out the following article i remember reading: http://www.telegraph.co....cut-dangerous-grass.htmlRisk assessment obviously needs to be done. Hope this is of some help. Mike
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Posted By fats van den raad
Thanks for the responses. Ive got several avenues of further investigation now.
Thanks also for the rightly deserved slap on the wrist Steve.. I should have done a search first before posting. Lesson learned.
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Posted By jervis
Have you thought of buying a goat or sheep.
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Posted By Phil Rose
'Fats'
I haven't looked at the other forums but other things that you might consider, depending on the height and angle of the slopes, are:
alternative planting schemes that would remove the need for grass cutting
long handled mowers (we bought one last year and it has proved very useful
remote control mower, which has a low C of G (Ransomes do one)
Phil
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Posted By Brian Hagyard
Fats
may be an expensive option and it will depend on the ground at the bottom of the bank which you make no reference to, but what about the type of gadget you see cutting hedges at the road side attached to an appropriate vehicle? I would think they can reach 15ft - will probably be company's out there with this type of kit that would hire their services to you. No one would actually be on the bank if you could do it this way.
Brian
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Posted By Bob Youel
there have been many accidents re this area and after many searches with a numbers of councils we never found a set of crampons that worked -
try re-designing / planting so as the areas do not need cutting. Use retardants and the robotic wireless mowers that are around where only the machine needs to go on the grass. Even ropes attached to the mower and guided from a flat area have been tried or leave the are to nature and call it a wild life enclosure as I have done on many an occasion
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Posted By Emma Forbes
At our LA, where we can't eliminate cutting,we use, where possible, an 8 metre stretch Spearhead attachment. This requires a bit of forward planning as pavements need to be closed and no parking restrictions need to be applied prior to cutting.
At one particularly steep banking we installed anchor points at the top of the banking and ran a cable through eyelets incorporated into the anchor points, which allowed the operator to harness up securely and strim.
I don't know if you've heard of these but Ransomes Spider (I think it's Ransomes) is a remote controlled cutting machine more than capable of climbing inclines up to around 40 degrees (given the ground conditions) and where it is steeper, it has a winch facility that you can hook it up to the back of the vehicle at the top of the banking, remotely use it still but with a little help from the winch.
Hope this helps, mail me if I can be of any more assistance.
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Posted By Ron Hunter
Does it need to be cut at all?
Natural meadow banking (chuck some wild flower seed in there too) can be attractive, beneficial to wild life etc.
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Posted By stephen d clarke There are a number of possible ways to address this issue I've listed a few that I have come across: • Attach hover mower to a rope man at top of slope (but control of motor is lost and deadman's handle probably defeated) • Robot mowers e.g. mowbot, spider mower see website http://www.slope-mower.com/?id=&language=en• Replant with shrubs, wild flowers • Apply growth retardant • Use tractor with grass cutting attachment (but need ROP) • Temporary fencing and sheep or llamas Steve
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Posted By fats van den raad
Thanks for all responses... There are now a number of possible avenues that can be explored.
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Posted By Mike DF
I agree with Bob Youel et al. Leave it to grow wild and get some environmental points. If it becomes unsightly then a one off replanting of something that needs no maintenance will do the job - via risk assessment.
My H&S skills greatly outweigh my gardening knowledge so I am recognising the limit of my competence and will stop typing!
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Posted By C. Wright
I would agree with Brian, the grass on the slopes we used to have the contract to cut was cut with a mowing arm on the rear of the tractor, at first glance it looks like a hedge flail but it has a proper grass cutting head on the end of the arm
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Posted By Tabs
Astro turf :-)
My front garden has it now, maintenance = broom or jet wash.
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