The general public should be aware of the risks posed by flail-type cutting attachments for portable hand-held brush cutters and which are prohibited from being placed on the market.

Grass trimmers and brush cutters are portable hand-held machines used to cut grass bushes and similar vegetation. They consist of a number of parts such as the power head, the shaft for transmission, the cutter and a guard. Such cutters might be accompanied with cutting attachments consisting of two or more metal parts such as chains and knives linked to a rotating head and referred to as flail-type cutting attachments.

Several accidents involving such flail-type cutting attachments were reported to the European Commission over the years. There was one particular case reported by the UK in 2010 which was even fatal after a link of the chain had been ejected while the brush cutter fitted with such a cutting attachment was in use.

It has also been observed that flail-type cutting attachments with linked metal parts, when compared to single part metal blades, present a higher risk of breaking up and being ejected when subject to repeated mechanical stresses when coming into contact with hard surfaces like stones and rocks. Moreover, even though guards are fitted to portable cutters, they might not necessarily provide sufficient protection.

Taking the above into account, on the 19^th of January 2012, the European Commission decided to prohibit the placing on the market of flail-type cutting attachments for portable hand-held brush cutters (examples of such attachments as shown below).

Should you own a portable hand-held brush cutter bearing flail-type cutting attachments, you should refrain from using such attachments and opt for safer ones. Moreover, if you encounter flail-type cutting attachments for portable hand-held brush cutters available for sale, you are kindly being urged to get in contact with the Market Surveillance Directorate.