of abrasive products can be used for grinding, also known also as de-burring, fettling, polishing, sanding and buffing. Safety recommendations depend on the type of abrasive you will use on your hand-held machine: reinforced depressed centre wheels, flap discs, vulcanized fibre discs, resinoid cup wheels and diamond cup wheels.
80% of the accidents with abrasive products are due to their misuse or mishandling.
The Federation of European Producers of Abrasives have produced a safety video to help
prevent end-users from getting hurt while using abrasive products professionally or for home projects.
Here are answers to a couple questions that were answered in this article on the "abrasives safety" webpage created by FEPA:
What is a safe product? What should I look for?
- FEPA recommends that only vulcanised fibre discs conforming to EN 13743 and marked as such should be used.
- Vulcanised fibre discs not bearing EN 13743 may not conform the highest safety standards.
- The back-up pad should bear the mark “ISO 15636” to conform that it conforms to the requirements.
- All discs and pack-up pads should be examined carefully for damage or defects before fitting on the machine.
- All vulcanised fibre discs are fragile. They should be handled with care.
- Keep discs in their original packing on a flat, rigid surface until their immediate use. Avoid extreme temperature and damp.
For more tips and information on safety for grinding, please view this entire article on the "Abrasives Safety" webpage.
