Grinding wheels operate at very high speeds and can present health and safety hazards. Here are the most common:

• A grinding (abrasive) wheel can shatter, seriously injuring workers nearby.
• Grinding can produce excessive noise, sparks and metal fragments.
• Contact with a wheel can mean cuts and scrapes.
• Dropping a portable grinder can injure legs and feet.
• Dusts can cause respiratory problems.
• Contact with lubricating oils and metallic dusts can irritate skin.
• Compressed air (from a pneumatic grinder) can enter the bloodstream, with deadly results.
• Vibration can cause ‘white finger’ injury.
• Electric shock can be fatal.

Never modify a grinder to bypass an […]