SAFETY FIRST FELLA'S !!!GRAFFIC PICTURES!!!

[Couper]

Hey Fella's,

I have a friend who has owned a body shop for 35 or so years and got very badly hurt using a cut-off wheel on the 4" grinder. Apparently the wheel was running at a far greater RPM than the rating. I believe 18,000 veresus the 13,000 on the disc so he tells me. The disc shattered while cutting the tubing on a set of headers while on the bench. He said he was very close in to the material. As you will see he was using a face shield but a cheap one from HF. The fractured disc cut his nose longways and you will see the piece of disc that was lodged in his sinus cavity. Pictures are not easy to look at but my aim is to make an impression on you guys as it did with me. Please be careful guys

 

[smallfoot]

Some of my best scars are from cutting wheels!

 

[kenny c]

Nasty to look at but a great reminder. Glad he is ok and that it missed his eyes. Be safe!

 

[redidbull]

Tough to look at for sure. Good point made that luckily missed his eyes. My closest call was using a table saw. Had a shield and shop apron on and a piece of carbide broke off the blase hitting me in the chest. Apron was a godsend. Huge welt on my chest. Quality blade too. Never know. Jim

 

[Old Iron]

Lucky fella

 

[Couper]

Yah guys...tough to look at but hopefully it makes us think when we pick that bugger up again. Yes very luck OI.

 

[gene49]

I was using a 3" cutoff wheel once that self destructed. When the wheel came apart, part of it hit my face. I got an instant headache, and my safety glass went flying, but no blood. When I found my safety glasses, they were split in 1/2 right at the bridge over my nose! The chunk of wheel struck the bridge of the safety glasses hard enough to break them, but didn't cause any more injury then a headache and a bruised bridge on my nose. That one caused me some time reflecting what could have been.

 

[lowbudget50]

Damn, glad he's okay. I agree some of my best hand scars are from cut off wheels! That's why 1 I don't use cheap discs Anymore and 2 wear your eye and hand protection!!

 

[bob w]

Keep your head out of the line of fire.

 

[redidbull]

I agree. Stand to the side so if it goes it goes by you. I have a pair of Kevlar lined gloved that saved me a few times. Jim

 

[jared nelson]

Also be aware of loose clothing! was using a ginder for sanding once and a gust of wind blow my t shirt into the wheel, bound up in mere seconds.

 

[Couper]

I was using a 3" cutoff wheel once that self destructed. When the wheel came apart, part of it hit my face. I got an instant headache, and my safety glass went flying, but no blood. When I found my safety glasses, they were split in 1/2 right at the bridge over my nose! The chunk of wheel struck the bridge of the safety glasses hard enough to break them, but didn't cause any more injury then a headache and a bruised bridge on my nose. That one caused me some time reflecting what could have been.

Close one pal.... hope you are doing well. All good here.

 

[smallfoot]

I gotta admit I'm not as safety oriented as I should be, but I have my own set of beliefs in most operations I perform. I don't wear gloves period! I'd rather my hide take a hit and let go than to be caught up in a glove and snatched into a machine that can do you in; ie a sawmill, table saw, drill presses and such. I use 5" cutting discs on a 4 1/2" grinder and once in a while I'll part with a piece of skin across a knuckle, my bad! I did have a cutting disc explode on me one time that took a path across the top of my wrist. If it went across the bottom instead of the top I would have had some serious blood loss. In the process of putting two stitches in it to close the gap I failed to get the nerve that I damaged down into the cut far enough. This caused a small bump along the scar which is that nerve just under the skin where it crosses a tendon. To this day all I have to do is touch that bump and it feels like a small electrical impulse travels to the tip of my index finger as a reminder. I don't get my face near or in line with any cutting process, but skin and digits are there for the torture...

 

[gene49]

When that 3" cut off wheel self destructed, my face was at about a 45 degree angle from the line of normal fire. The tool even had the guard in place. I assumed the piece that claimed my safety glasses must have caught part of the guard when it came apart the deflected it towards my face. I will never know for sure, it happened too fast and I was not recording the event so I could put it in slow motion to really see. Most of my welding shop work time was me there alone. I paid pretty close attention to where sparks went, and where stuff would normally go if things went wrong. If I went down, there would be no one there to call for help.

That said, you can't cover all of the possibilities. The work has to get done.

 

[redidbull]

1 thing always do now when working alone in the shop is making sure I have my phone with me. Just in case. Jim

 

[Couper]

Also be aware of loose clothing! was using a ginder for sanding once and a gust of wind blow my t shirt into the wheel, bound up in mere seconds.

I had some very loose sweat pants get caught up in he wheel on a grinder that did not have a trigger but an on off switch. Almost go the 3 piece set! I threw that grinder in the garbage. No more on / off switches for me!

 

[redidbull]

I had some very loose sweat pants get caught up in he wheel on a grinder that did not have a trigger but an on off switch. Almost go the 3 piece set! I threw that grinder in the garbage. No more on / off switches for me!

I'm not a fan of those cheap grinders either. One I have is set up with a sanding disc, and 1with a wirebrush. No cutoffs for sure. Jim