DC –AW – 2015 – 7 Chemicals July 2015

Grinder Incident

Target audience for this alert

 Terminal Maintenance and construction workers/contractors
 Terminal Managers

What happened
A maintenance contractor at a terminal was issued with a permit to remove FIG I - Angle grinder (not from
corroded special corrugated metal sheets from a compressor building and replace actual incident)
with new sheets. Procedures included the use of a hand held electrical grinder to
cut off rusty bolts in order to remove the old metal sheets. The contractor had just
replaced the cutting disc on the grinder and was in the process of plugging the
grinder in to the power outlet. The grinder was left unsecured on the platform of
the scaffold while the contractor connected the grinder to the electrical extension.
Upon plugging in the grinder to the extension, the grinder was immediately
activated due to the grinder power switch being locked in the “on” position. The
contractor instinctively attempted to prevent the moving grinder from falling off the
scaffolding by trying to grab it. This action resulted in his sustaining a cut to the
palm of his right hand.

Why it happened

 The power switch on the angle grinder was locked in “on” position, activating the grinder when connected to a
power source.
 Instead of disconnecting from the power source, the contractor instinctively attempted to grab the grinder while
it was in motion, thereby sustaining the cut to the palm of his hand.
 The contractor failed to put on his gloves before connecting to the power source.
 There were no guidelines to ensure the grinder tool used was suitable for the job and safe to use.
 The Job Safety Analysis for the task was only a check-list exercise. No practical evaluation of the hazards had
been conducted prior to the activity.
Lessons learned

 There have been many industrial accidents involving angle grinders that have resulted in serious injuries to
operators. It is paramount that operators follow both product and site use procedures in order to avoid injuries.

Recommendations

 Ensure the grinder is equipped with a “deadman switch” and has no locking trigger.
 Never use a grinder without the wheel guard attached to the tool. Position the tool in a safe position in the event
that it accidentally activates.
 Always wear appropriate personal protection equipment (gloves, hearing protection, goggles and hard-hat
with face shield) when operating a power grinding tool.
 Use only abrasive wheels that match the diameter and speed (rpm) of the grinder as per manufacturers’
specifications.
 Never use an angle grinder above operator chest height.
 Switch off and unplug grinder equipment before performing any work on it.

Suggested toolbox/safety meeting questions

 Have you ever encountered a similar situation in your work location?
 Do you have any personal experience to share or feedback?

Further information
Grinder safety videos (via YouTube):
Angle Grinders (2 of 4) Graphic Content!
Grinders: What's the Right Eye Protection?
Guarding - Grinders (3 of 3)
LFI on Grinder Injury - P&T LFI

A Grinding Wisdom Pack with Do’s and Don’ts and links to learnings from other incidents involving grinders is
available. Please contact Mike Drumm mike.drumm@shell.com or anand.bachasingh@shell.com for additional
information regarding the subject matter of this LFI.