Thread: Angle Grinder Accident

Grinding of mower blades with an angle grinder and no or limited eye protection.

Sounds like an accident in waiting.

eye30335_031212_2.jpg Hi, the eye you are looking at is mine. I was using an angle grinder to clean up a weld, and before you ask yes I did have safety glasses on but they were not goggles and a piece of metal hit me on the cheek and ricocheted under my glasses into my eye, I didn't even feel it until 2 hours later. Three trips to the optometrist, 5 days of quite a lot pain. The optometrist told me how lucky I was that it missed the pupil. I didn't feel real lucky, now I won't even walk passed the angle grinder without putting on my safety goggles. I got away with glasses for years, but not any more, amazing how a bit of pain re-enforces a lesson.
Richard.

I had a thorn on a small Bouganvillia branch I was carrying puncture and tear a 3mm long hole in a corner of my cornea. Boy did that hurt I was wearing glasses while I was pruning but took them off once I was finished. I was only then I spied a lone branch I had left over on the side of the lawn and picked it up an carried it down the side of the house to the bin. While walking along it got tangled up with other vegetation and was dragged out of my hands and across one one eye.

Originally Posted by millymydog

...... and before you ask yes I did have safety glasses on but they were not goggles and a piece of metal hit me on the cheek and ricocheted under my glasses into my eye, ......
Richard.

Richard this is a quite common event that was well researched in the Australian motor industry. Workers were still suffering eye injuries even though they were wearing approved safety specs. The severity & frequency of the injuries were reduced but some were still occuring. One solution is very close fitting models with supplementary soft fitting gaskets to fill the gap betwen face & specs (Uvex X-one & X-twin have them as an option).

Yes the faithfull angle grinder is the most common individual tool implicated in home DIY & hobby injuries marginally ahead of the ladder. They account for 15% of hospital admissions in that bracket with 45% of injuries being eye injuries (source QISU). Grinders & angle grinders also account for a significant number of injuries in paid employment too.

I've had grit from the angle grinder wheel, in my eye while wearing glasses AND safety goggles over the top!.

You would think "it cannot happen" (and it never has before or since) - but that one time it did - somehow!

The safety goggles have little air vent holes on top to let vapor out and reduce fogging up of the safety goggles (or prescription glasses you need to wear underneath to see what your doing).

My angle grinder had its guard on. I wear leather gloves etc.

I can only guess the grit separated from the thin (1mm) grinding disc when cutting thin gauge sheet while building my shed - it sort of caught and vibrated - the grits stuff hit me in the forehead and some went down thru the holes in the safety goggles and then inside my specs between my face and the frames.... and into my eye - thank fully not on the pupil - but it was bloody sore for a while - I have saline wash in my boat first aid kit so flushed the eye a couple times and a day or 2 later it was O.K. again.

I now don't feel so smug/safe wearing safety goggles any more - nuthing's fool proof if you have a big enough and practiced enough old fool!.

Least it wasn't hot metal.

Maybe safety goggles for grinders use could be improved somehow?.

Originally Posted by Timless Timber

......

I now don't feel so smug/safe wearing safety goggles any more - nuthing's fool proof if you have a big enough and practiced enough old fool!.

Least it wasn't hot metal.

Maybe safety goggles for grinders use could be improved somehow?.

So true....

I've been called and idiot many times over the years because of my stance on safety - its not a satisfying "I told you so moment" when you see work colleagues who would not cover up in the sun suffering from skin cancers or dying from melanoma's; or a mate who lost all fingers on one hand; or seeing friends & colleagues going through considerable rehabilitation for something that could so easily have been avoided or at least the risk reduced markedly. Far from it actually - if only they had listened .............. Some things you cannot influence & you just have to put your faith in others & trust they are "working safely" but in most instances we control our destiny through our choices.

Same goes for woodturning safety etc. You may look like a dork with an airshield PARP or safety specs plus a face shield on - but one thing that is very apparent any particle that does get through to your eye will do far less damage that a direct hit with no protection!

Safety goggles have been developed to do just that - only one slight problem - they fog up! All safety equipment is a compromise between total protection & practicality.

Effective safety programs have a downside too - if they are too effective then people / workers get a false sense of security about "working safe" and start cutting corners again because "no one gets injured doing this stuff."

Consider this: scuba divers don't really have a option to take off a fogged up mask and give it a wipe, down 20M.

Buy a "Fog Stick." It's a high-molecular weight detergent (duh, the pink stick) that you scribble on and wipe back with a soft cloth. Paper wipe somehow destroys the effect. Safety goggles, ski goggles, scuba masks, binoculars, etc.
As a surfactant, it pulls the foggy water droplets down into a thin transparent film.
Been in the market place for 40 years.

Originally Posted by Robson Valley

Consider this: scuba divers don't really have a option to take off a fogged up mask and give it a wipe, down 20M.

Buy a "Fog Stick." It's a high-molecular weight detergent (duh, the pink stick) that you scribble on and wipe back with a soft cloth. Paper wipe somehow destroys the effect. Safety goggles, ski goggles, scuba masks, binoculars, etc.
As a surfactant, it pulls the foggy water droplets down into a thin transparent film.
Been in the market place for 40 years.

RV, the safety people sell it here too,

ANTI-FOG STICK | BOC Australia

I guessed it might be all over the place. Really cheap baby shampoo does about the same on the insides of big truck windows = some on a cloth, wipe it on for the winter.

Just checked the link (thanks). At $13.90, looks like cheap insurance to me.
They last forever.

Take the fog stick with you to the next house party.
Write rude things on the mirror in the bath (invisible).
BUT, the next time that your hostess gets out of a hot shower. . . . . .

They'll never take me away, I'm normal.

Anti-fog is $6 on special at Super Cheap Auto at the moment.....

Originally Posted by Robson Valley

Consider this: scuba divers don't really have a option to take off a fogged up mask and give it a wipe, down 20M.

Really??? Your obviously not a diver are you. If you were you'd know that most divers wipe saliva around the inside of their mask then rinse with seawater to stop fogging. Also for most sports divers, you don't breath through your mask other than to expel a miniscule amount of breath to equalise the internal pressure, hence no fogging. Even when you get a bit of fogging you just leave a small amount of water inside the mask or flood the mask and clear it - just like taking it off at 20m. I didn't even use anti-fog when commercial diving with a KM head and that can't be removed when in water.

I have been using UVEX goggles, they are great cut down sun glare and have never fogged up