Always use personal protective equipment (PPE) when working with grinding tools and don’t adjust such machines in ways that compromise safety. The Nautical Institute gives this advice in a new Mars Report which describes how an electrician on board got injured while working with a grinder.
The Nautical Institute gathers reports of maritime accidents and near-misses. It then publishes these so-called Mars (Mariners’ Alerting and Reporting Scheme) Reports (anonymously) to prevent other accidents from happening. This is one of these reports.
On board a vessel, an electrician was cutting a steel pipe with a grinding tool. The protecting guard of the grinder had been removed to permit the use of a larger disc. Suddenly, the grinding disk shattered and flying disc parts caused a deep cut on the victim’s right hand. The crew member could not subsequently fulfil his duties and had to be repatriated.
Also read: Nautical Institute: Always use PPE when working with grinding wheels and discs
Investigation findings
The company investigation revealed that the disc in use had sustained initial fractures prior to the accident event use. Also, the victim was not wearing a face protection mask nor using working gloves.
The company review of grinding accidents within the industry found that the common causes of grinding accidents were:
- Using a damaged grinding wheel;
- Using the wrong type of disc for the job;
- The machine speed and disc speed are incompatible;
- Poor machine maintenance;
- Lack of training;
- Operator carelessness.
Also read: Grinder causes fatal bleeding on board bulk carrier
Advice from The Nautical Institute
- There are so many! Let’s start with the easy one – always wear appropriate PPE. And yet, this is your last line of protection.
- Never ‘jury-rig’ a tool. Taking the protecting guard off the grinder to insert a larger disc is a foolish and dangerous move.
- It is good practice to inspect the grinding disc for damage or small cracks prior to use.
- Before use, check to see if the disc has an expiry date. The shelf life of a grinder disc can vary depending on several factors, including storage conditions. Humidity and temperature can negatively affect disc shelf life.
- The switches on angle grinders can be sensitive, ie, easily knocked into ON position. When changing blades, switch off the power at the power point and pull the plug out of the socket.
- Never put a grinder down until the disc stops rotating.
Also read: Grinding accident – Check your RPMs
Mars Reports
This accident was covered in the Mars Reports, originally published as Mars 202615. A selection of the Mars Reports are also published in the SWZ|Maritime magazine. The Nautical Institute compiles these reports to help prevent maritime accidents. That is why they are also published (in full) on SWZ|Maritime’s website.
More reports are needed to keep the scheme interesting and informative. All reports are read only by the Mars coordinator and are treated in the strictest confidence. To submit a report, please use the Mars report form.
