Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Pub Talk). This thread is read-only.
I hurt myself today and I wanted to use this as an opportunity to reinforce safety and the importance of wearing full personal protective equipment. I was using a grinder and the cord snagged on something and the tool tipped, the cutting wheel broke apart and sent shards flying towards my face. I was wearing safety glasses but not a full face shield. A shard cut through my nostril, almost cut the tip of my nose right off.
What I did wrong
1) took the simple task for granted and didn’t wear full face shield
2) had removed the guard from the grinder in a previous job and didn’t replace it
3)used an old cutting wheel
What I can do to prevent this from happening again
1) do a better job of removing clutter from the work shop
2) wear ALL PPE, every time. No matter how quick or easy the job
3) use a new wheel on every project, spend the extra few $$ for the diamond wheel
4) don’t be a dumbass (that ones hard)
Close call twidget, I never wear a full face mask grinding also just the glasses.
Ya, I got lucky. I was still able to BBQ dinner for the wife so the 4th wasn’t a total loss.
Geesh EE! Glad your okay and thanks for the safety reminder!
Man I am glad to hear you are alright and it wasn’t any worse then that. I really appreciate you sharing this because I think a lot of people don’t realize how important PPE is when operating a grinder. I really like how you said that the guard needs to be on the tool. I know there are times it needs to go but they didn’t include it with the grinder for cosmetic reasons.
ya that sucks, I worked with a guy that something like that happened to as well….but you got off easier than he did…kinda same thing wearing safety glasses but was grinding in a corner and the disc caught and kicked back towards his face, not only did it brake his glasses part of the broken glasses went into his left eye and he got road rash from the disc on his left cheek….
Glad that your ok EEW. I think we all can be a little lax at times when it comes to safety gear. I think the biggest problem is it not being easily accessible a lot of the time.
Oh Damn!! dude im glad to hear ur ok man!
Glad to hear your ok EE. I usually just use a pair of glasses when cutting. I try not to cut with an angle grinder, I’ll usually use a plasma cutter or a chop saw. I’m always afraid the wheel will bind and do what it did to you. I need to pick up a face shield soon.
Holy card man, that’s a close call… Belt and suspenders next time…..
wow. Painful reminder
Glad your ok. What a great point about safety. I always take it for granted. It only takes one time to change the rest of your life. Thanks for the reminder that I need to think before I use these tools. Again glad your ok
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Glad you’re ok. I’ve been putting a lot of effort into safety gear lately. From someone who has omitted the basics nearly all my life, I’m playing with fire. No glasses, no hearing protection and no mask. I’m changing my ways though. One of our shop hands had a piece of wood shoot into his eye a couple weeks ago while using a weed eater. Thankfully he is 100% but the doctors were talking about whether or not he’d have vision our of that eye again.
Thanks for sharing! I only wear glasses, but I NEVER take the guard off. I think I’ll go look into a face guard.
I’m bad about not wearing safety equipment with a weed eater. I really need to start doing that.
When I use the weed eater I use safety glasses but a far mask would be good to I hate when a lil rock hits my lip! That sh%* hurts!!
Any suggestions on face mask?
That one is certainly a nice one how much u pay for that one Proto?
Ouch, glad it wasn’t too serious. That’s one reason I like cordless grinders. I love my fuel grinder, no cord makes for one less thing to get snagged. I never use it without the guard but I’m now considering using a face guard whenever I use mine now…
Wow, this is awesome you shared this and was able bring safety awareness to everyone. I should have done the same with my fence project, i had an accident where i grabbed a fresh weld with my bare hand and it instantly blistered. Note to self: keep your gloves on. Lol
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Wow! Glad you’re ok. I have had similar accidents with a Dremel and those dang cut off wheels. They crack so easily and send shard right at you.
Nice reminder about how dangerous a fun tool can be, and how quick your day can turn into a bad one. Glad you are ok and able to talk about it.
jrsalas wrote:
Wow, this is awesome you shared this and was able bring safety awareness to everyone. I should have done the same with my fence project, i had an accident where i grabbed a fresh weld with my bare hand and it instantly blistered. Note to self: keep your gloves on. Lol
Yes, we all do stupid sh*t sometimes. I still get myself un-chucking a hot drill bit on occasion. The silver-lining; I’m not too bad considering, and maybe my sharing will prevent someone else from making the same mistake.
Bigmikez wrote:
When I use the weed eater I use safety glasses but a far mask would be good to I hate when a lil rock hits my lip! That sh%* hurts!!
The weed eater is the king at throwing rocks at you, I always get a little cut on my legs from a rock every time I use it. I should probably wear jeans but I’m a shorts guy and its to hot to wear jeans. Best thing to do is avoid cutting in rocks..lol
OK another face mask question, sorta related to Pro’s suggestion. Is Mesh or solid face guard better. Solid being something more like this http://www.amazon.com/Sperian-Protection-S8500-Bionic-Shield/dp/B001VXXUWK/
the STIHL one looks super bad A though
Solid probably offers better protection, but sucks in the heat.
Looks like stihl has one that’s a combo of both. I have one like yours (non stihl through) that doesn’t have the helmet somewhere buried. Garage sale find I think.
Oh and its called the stihl construction hardhat system