Grinder Safety

Grinding metal tends to throw off a lot of hot sparks which can be very dangerous. It's important to take proper safety precautions when using a grinder. These include:

• Always wear eye protection that completely cover your eyes. Sunglasses or regular glasses aren't a subsitution for proper safety glasses, which protect your eyes from all directions and are resistant to heat.
• Always wear apparel designed to protect your body. Sparks can burn right through your clothing (and to your skin), so it's important to cover yourself with a material that's resistant to heat.
• Always wear quality work gloves. Since they are the closest part of your body to the grinder, they are the most likely to come in contact with the hottest sparks.
• Make sure your work area doesn't contain any inflammable materials or liquids. One spark coming into contact with something like gasoline is all it would take for a very bad situation.
• Never disable safety features. Grinders are typically equipped with shields to protect you from sparks or from coming into contact with the grinding wheel. They're there to protect you, and removing them is like taking the seatbelts and airbags out of your car.