4 ms·

its not just seeing what you're doing, the guard really does limit your ability to control the contact with the work. i'm all for PPE, including full face shiel

its not just seeing what you're doing, the guard really does limit your ability to control the contact with the work. i'm all for PPE, including full face shields when working with cutting disks, but the guard is actually a real hindrance. the most common injuries I have with grinder are: a) using a sanding disk and buffing off some skin b) running a cutting disk into my hand c) getting the grinder caught into my clothing and pulling it into my torso d) getting grit in my eyes (c) is pretty nasty and isn't helped by the guard. (d) is trivially preventable by using fitting safety glasses. (a) and (b) result in cuts that are potentially bad, but not permanent. for me the real issue here is using grinder that are in excess of 5". sometimes thats necessary, but the idea of throwing around an 8" cutting disk with a > 1hp motor without a guard just makes me frightened thinking of it. i had a job where they insisted i use one and i just walked off. and cutting tools with blades, i.e for masonry. thats asking for real hurt. or those insane little chiansaws. just no.

istjohn 2y ago
Most PPE has very real tradeoffs. Respirators are uncomfortable, especially in hot weather. Safety glasses get dusty and smudged. Gloves limit dexterity. Mortar mixer grates make it difficult to clean unmixed sand and mortar from the sides. Safety harnesses take time to donn and doff and limit mobility. It's rare that the safest procedure is the quickest and cheapest. As a society, we've decided that we are willing to pay the price to keep our workers safe on the job. But it only works if our regulators are effective and make the costs of noncompliance greater than the costs of compliance.
- chgs 2y ago
  Safety equipment can introduce new dangers too, both from correct use, and from refusal to use it For example a hard hat might be fine, people generally are happy with that - they see the benefit, they see things falling, job done. but then you add a ton more stuff which has decreasing benefit and increasing cost to use (in terms of comfort as well as time and dollars) and eventually the worker says “fuck it” and doesn’t even wear the hat. there is always a balance to be had. We do the same in domestic life - we make motor cyclists wear helmets, but not car passengers. If we made all car occupants wear a helmet we would reduce head injuries for occupants in car crashes. But that would be ridiculous.
  - czl 2y ago
    > If we made all car occupants wear a helmet we would reduce head injuries for occupants in car crashes. But that would be ridiculous. Effective helmets would likely need to be tethered due to their mass. I believe modern car race helmet are tethered to the vehicle frame.
lamp_book 2y ago
Had the pleasure of cutting concrete pipe with a 16" saw at my first job. That thing was scary as hell. Needless to say no one pulled the guard off it though.

istjohn 2y ago

Most PPE has very real tradeoffs. Respirators are uncomfortable, especially in hot weather. Safety glasses get dusty and smudged. Gloves limit dexterity. Mortar mixer grates make it difficult to clean unmixed sand and mortar from the sides. Safety harnesses take time to donn and doff and limit mobility. It's rare that the safest procedure is the quickest and cheapest. As a society, we've decided that we are willing to pay the price to keep our workers safe on the job. But it only works if our regulators are effective and make the costs of noncompliance greater than the costs of compliance.

chgs 2y ago
Safety equipment can introduce new dangers too, both from correct use, and from refusal to use it For example a hard hat might be fine, people generally are happy with that - they see the benefit, they see things falling, job done. but then you add a ton more stuff which has decreasing benefit and increasing cost to use (in terms of comfort as well as time and dollars) and eventually the worker says “fuck it” and doesn’t even wear the hat. there is always a balance to be had. We do the same in domestic life - we make motor cyclists wear helmets, but not car passengers. If we made all car occupants wear a helmet we would reduce head injuries for occupants in car crashes. But that would be ridiculous.
- czl 2y ago
  > If we made all car occupants wear a helmet we would reduce head injuries for occupants in car crashes. But that would be ridiculous. Effective helmets would likely need to be tethered due to their mass. I believe modern car race helmet are tethered to the vehicle frame.

lamp_book 2y ago

Had the pleasure of cutting concrete pipe with a 16" saw at my first job. That thing was scary as hell. Needless to say no one pulled the guard off it though.