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Grinding Wheel Accidents and Workers Compensation

A grinding wheel workers compensation claim is one that stems from injuries that are brought about by an accident on the job that involves a grinding wheel. Have you been injured in a grinding wheel accident where you work? Have you applied for workers compensation benefits?

What is a grinding wheel?
A grinding wheel is an expandable wheel that is made up of an abrasive compound. An abrasive compound is one that is capable of cleaning or polishing a hard surface by grinding or rubbing.

A grinding wheel is used for various types of abrasive cutting (grinding) and abrasive machine operations. In other words, a grinding wheel is used to polish a surface or cut a material.

A grinding wheel is generally made from a matrix of coarse particles that are bonded and pressed together in order to form a circular, solid shape. A grinding wheel can also be made from a solid steel or aluminum disc that has particles bonded to the surface. Various cross sections and profiles are used in grinding wheels. This depends on how the grinding wheel is going to be used.

The manufacture of a grinding wheel is a precise and tightly controlled process. The reason for this is due to the inherent safety risks of a spinning disc. It is also due to the uniformity and composition that is needed to keep the disc from exploding because of the high stresses that are produced on rotation.

A grinding wheel has five characteristics. They are wheel grade, bond type, material, grain spacing and grain size. The kind of abrasive that is used in a grinding wheel is determined by the hardness of the material that is going to be cut. Various abrasives that are used include:

• Diamond
• Aluminum Oxide
• Cubic Boron Nitride
• Ceramic
• Silicon Carbide

Workplace Safety Risks of using a Grinding Wheel

As mentioned earlier, there are inherent safety risks that are involved with the use of a grinding wheel. There are various types of injuries that may result from a grinding wheel accident on the job. Some of these are:

• Being struck by fragments from a broken grinding wheel
• Getting a finger caught in a grinding wheel
• Getting cut in the face
• Having a finger ground in a grinding wheel
• Being injured when a grinding wheel explodes
• Getting a finger amputated by a grinding wheel
• Having a thumb or thumb tip amputated by a grinding wheel
• Getting a hand caught between the bit and the grinding wheel
• Being disfigured when struck by a grinding wheel
• Having a leg lacerated or injured in a grinding wheel explosion
• Being killed by pieces of a broken grinding wheel

Again, you may have been seriously injured in a grinding wheel accident on the job. Did you make a grinding wheel workers compensation claim? Has your employer tried to prevent you from making a workers compensation claim? Has your employer threatened you? Was your claim denied?

If any of the above are true, you need to talk to a workers compensation attorney. A workers compensation attorney will help you get the workers compensation benefits that you have coming to you.