Why you should wear face protection when using an angle grinder.

[ratdoggy]

Years ago I took an auto body class. I was wearing eye protection (the goofy chemistry lab one with the soft surround with all the holes)
Grinding wheel exploded, hit me square in the goggles, blew the goggles off my face, stunned me and the wheel flew across the shop hitting the garage door where it sounded like a cherry bomb in a garbage can. The goggles were messed up, I was shook up and dazed but not even a scratch. The goggles ended up having a place of honor in the shop's safety display. I wear eye protection all the time now....
Especially when I almost lost an eye to a screwdriver I was using.

 

[jrsavoie]

The 9" grinders andvair grinders can really do some damage.

You have to be very careful with abrasives caused injuries. They are very dirty. A friend had a serious issue that arose from a piece of grinding wheel under his skin.

Back in the 70's and early 80's we used to weld without a shirt in the heat of the summer. We'd lather up with Cocoa Butter and the sparks would bounce right off.

Is it any wonder we all have cancer now?

 

[PelicanPines]

Something that seems to be getting overlooked - be aware of the plane that the disk is operating in and stay out of it.

And you are still "A Man" if you use one of those screw in handles to get a better grip on the tool. It's always important to have a good grip if it catches... it will most likely twist causing the blade to break and all hell breaks looooose.

 

[Firebrick43]

I had a sanding disc on a pistol grip air grinder come apart on me. Half the disc split my face shield middle of the bottom edge to mid shield. It stopped touching the tip of my nose and just barely scratched it. Happened in 97 or so and I have always wondered if I would look like Danney Trejo if I had not been wearing that shield?

 

[kerrynzl]

I've had a handful of grinder disks break and hit me in the gut, barely even bruises me. I have a hard time believing they can do that kind of damage.



Also terribly faked, thats not how those come apart.

I've had a cut-off wheel blow the centre out while cutting under a dash.[installing a roll cage]
It came back at my face and cut through some cheap safety goggles and nicked my eyebrow.

If the sparks are aimed away from you, the disc will come towards you if it breaks off .

One last thing...........In this incident I had removed the safety guard [big mistake] so I could rotate the disc in a confined situation.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

You know what? WHO CARES about the deniers. They know everything, they’re all going to miraculously be exempt from eye, face and other injuries. The probably stand on the top step of step ladders, don’t wear hearing protection - huh, what’d you say? - etc.

You guys that know all the safety concerns with grinding stones and discs just let us know when you lose an eye - yeah right. Like you’d ever admit you were wrong.

 

[Jazz1]

Started using welding shield for grinding after a cheap offshore disc came apart,,,no damage but it was enlightening experience.

 

[Zebedeewesty]

I had a 1mm cutting disc explode when i was cutting a chunk of angle iron. I think i mush have twisted the grinder slightly while cutting. I was crouching while working and the bits of blade ripped through the crotch out of my coveralls missing all my essential bits before imbedding itself into the fence behind me.

I've had another come apart and hit my goggles cracking them. Wouldn't have liked to have seen the state of my eyes if i wasn't wearing them.

 

[sliderhd]

I'm ugly enough as it is!!! Don't need to get any worse!

 

[Walkers]

Why are there so many deniers here? I have had discs break apart just like that a few times if I got them jammed in a cut. My grinders guards are removed also but am aware what can happen so always wear glasses and face shield when using them.

It is the way it is in the plastic. They do not cut a smooth groove in a face shield. The face shield deflects a lot. If that was really thrown in there he would have had a massive cut in his cheek and eye.
Also, you keep missing the part where he admitted it was staged. This was some years ago on WeldingWeb.com

 

[Dutch01]

You guys made me think. **** happens I Live close to an international airport, how can I prevent an airplane from falling onto my house .

OK seriously I agree it is important to wear appropriate PPE. To be honest I am one of those who don't. I usually wear slip slops, short pants and t-shirt when I work. The one thing I am very cautious about though is angle grinders, bench grinders and table saws. As previous posters said, I also look at the angle and direction of rotation and make sure I am not in line of the outward motion of the discs. They can cause serious injury. From a very young age as an apprentice till today the one thing I still do is when I switch on a bench grinder, I stand at the side till it picked up full speed as it could have been damaged.

 

[Badgerstate]

Edit: Video clip removed...others are pointing out it was faked, so I'd rather not be the source of a big argument.

Regardless, wearing proper PPE when using a cutting wheel is important.

As someone who has worked in manufacturing (including welding and grinding) for over 20 years, I can tell you always wear a shield and safety glasses.
Having a piece of metal drilled out of your eye is no fun and having a grinding wheel explode and hit you in the face is even less fun.
Ive actually switched to use a die grinder with a grinding stone over an angle grinder because its quite a bit safer and you get better results with it.

 

[Zebedeewesty]

I remember my dad telling me about a large grinding wheel exploding as he was working at it. Every single piece missed him but the walls behind him looked like it'd been hit with gun fire as there were loads of chunks out of the concrete.

 

[Sumboodie]

I admit, I don't wear a face shield. Where I used to work I asked the shop foreman for a 4-1/2" angle grinder he handed it to me and I noticed there was not a wheel guard. I asked him where the guard was and got a bunch of "don't be a sissy" flack from him. I asked him if he had ever had a grinding wheel explode and told him if he had he would want the guard in place. He gave me some more flack and found the guard and I put it on. I noticed a week later the guard was missing.

I never knew grinders had guards until one I bought came with it installed... which I removed after a few days. Was always in the way.

That being said, I don't have my face near the thing, even though after hundreds of cut off and grinding wheels I've never had any "explode".
I've used cut off wheels with chunks missing even.

 

[Lassen Forge]

I have a pair of safety glasses where the cutoff wheel I was using jammed and exploded - peppered in a straight line from my lower right chin, across my nose to my hair line, across where my eye was.

I never took safety glasses serious before I happened to put them on (at a friends insistance), after that ALL my glasses are safety rated.

 

[Beelzeboss]

I've always kept the guard on my grinder and worn safety glasses, but had a scare earlier in the year where a red hot spark bounced off something, went in under my safety glasses (or maybe around the side, didn't really see it), and burnt a small spot on my eyeball before falling out.

I thought the piece of metal was stuck in there so went to the hospital prepared for an eye scraping, it was great news to be told it just bruised and burnt a small dot and left the scene.

Now I'm an always safety glasses and face shield kind of person. Most industrial sites here in Australia mandate glasses and face shield at a minimum for using a grinder.