Angle grinders kill and regularly maim users - how a horror period unfolded among one group of workers

Hands ripped apart, eyes blasted with metal fragments (through supposed safety glasses), long hours of painful surgery.

While angle grinders have caused deaths around the country, it is sober reading to consider the horror rural users are having with Background

Four separate angle grinder incidents injuring Northery Territory workers have occurred within a five week period.

Incident one

A young apprentice boilermaker was using an angle grinder to cut plates off a bumper bar when the grinder kicked back into his hand and the cutting disc broke. The apprentice required surgery for over five hours and was lucky to not have lost his thumb.

Incident two

A worker was using an angle grinder to cut sheet metal for ductwork when the grinder 'grabbed' and kicked back, lacerating the workers hand. A handle was not attached to the grinder when the incident occurred.

Incident three

A first year apprentice was cutting a section of metal frame using a 5-inch angle grinder, when metal particles entered his eye requiring medical treatment. The incident occurred even though the apprentice was wearing safety glasses at the time of the incident.

Incident four

A construction worker was injured and required surgery when the angle grinder he was holding kicked back into his hand. The worker was using an older model 9-inch grinder that did not have a safety switch, when he accidently hit the start switch before he had full control of the grinder.

Workplace safety authorities say around Australia the main causes of injuries are being hit by flying particles from the item being ground or cut, being hit by fragments of the grinder disc if it breaks and being cut by the grinder when it kicks back.