Use of hand-held disc grinders
- Safety Flash
- Published on 2 April 2001
- Generated on 23 October 2025
- IMCA SF 06/01
- 1 minute read
One of our Members has recently received the following information on an incident:
What happened?
A fatality occurred when a worker was using an air-powered disc grinder to cut grooves into cast iron. The disc fractured and a large fragment penetrated the worker’s face shield and hit his face, with fatal consequences.
Several rule-violating factors contributed to this incident:
- the disc installed was larger than allowed for the grinder tool.
- the disc guard had been removed.
- the disc was not designed for this type of cutting.
- the side handle had been removed.
- the marked disc speed was 4500rpm, while the grinder tool could make 7600rpm.
The following lessons learned were noted:
- Never remove guards installed by tool manufacturers.
- Only use consumables recommended for the tool by the manufacturer.
- Always check if tools are fit for the purpose before use.
- Ensure face shields in use are adequately dimensioned for their intended use.
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