This picture recently appeared in an article in the CSDAA Diamonds Magazine Issue 11 under the headline DID YOU KNOW THAT YOUR CHOICE IN DIAMOND BLADES COULD KILL YOU? Now the blades in the picture appear to be well known brands so my question is - should we not buy blades from those pictured or we do buy blades from these pictured manufacturers. CONFUSED! If you know of these blades can you tell me if their safe and how is a blade determined as safe? Did you Know that Your Choice in Diamond Blades Could Kill You? CSDAA.COM.AU Now that we have your attention, I felt it timely, given many recent, deadly accidents, to make you aware of the hazards involved in your choice of diamond blades. We all work in a hazardous and high risk industry, where not only training, but information sharing, is essential to minimise that risk. A construction site is not unlike a warzone. Everywhere lay traps ready to maim or kill the unsuspecting worker. Some are obvious, but the most deadly are not easily seen nor identified. Falling from heights, nail guns, and heavy machinery are all given a wide berth on these sites. Their ability to seriously injure or kill are well-known, and safety education for proper operation is almost always a requirement to step foot on a jobsite, or should be. Unfortunately, the tool that injures the most people every year goes largely unnoticed by the majority of workers using them. This instrument of destruction is the hand held saw or angle grinder. It has a wide assortment of uses, and is utilized in one method or another by a large percentage of people on construction sites. If the jobsite is a warzone, then hand saws are the grenades soldiers carry around with them. The open blade setup, combined with shockingly dangerous abrasive and diamond blades, makes for a ticking time bomb when operated by someone unaware of its potentially lethal possibility. I am sure most have their own stories relating to accidents involving diamond blades, where extreme kickback occurs when using hand held saws, or where blades simply disintegrate into pieces, causing serious damage and injury. In most cases, these incidents can be traced back to poor quality diamond tools. With most hand held 2 stroke powered saws, the blade is spinning at 100m/sec unloaded or 80m/sec when under load. This equates to more than 320KPH. At this speed, the saw blank is subjected to amazing stresses. It, the steel blank (or core) MUST be made perfectly, to withstand such stresses. And, of course, higher quality steel cores cost much more than poor quality. I often field remarks that “well, it is just a hunk of steel”. Well it may look like that, but the subject must be taken much more seriously. Those that have been subjected to a blade coming apart at 320KPH will know well what I am talking about, if you survived. The choice of “steel” for a high speed diamond blade, in particular, is critical. It has to survive nearly 3 times the stresses of a normal flat saw blade that is spinning at “just” 40-50m/ second. “Steel” comes in many grades, from plain old mild steel, to highly tuned alloy steels. Steel for hand held sawing operations needs to be of specific hardness (HRB), and tolerances and in particular, TENSIONED correctly. If the blade has incorrect tolerances, “hammering” can occur 30 SPECIALFEATURE LEFT - “Steel” comes in many grades, from plain old mild steel, to highly tuned alloy steels. that can destroy a blade in minutes. If the incorrect tension is not applied to the blade, then extreme wobbling can occur that will also destroy the blade. Incorrect tensioning is often responsible for jamming of blades in the cut, and severe kick back that causes most injuries and deaths. The tool steel must also be of a quality that retains the correct tension in blades for the life of the product. Such tension problems can also impact greatly on the speed of cut and life of the tool. A great deal of what an owner or operator does, can also impact the life of a saw blade. Storing the blade saw in the back of a “hot” utility (nothing to do with looks or engine capacity), insufficient water and incorrect matching of blade bond to material can cause major damage. So, CAN YOUR CHOICE OF DIAMOND BLADES SERIOUSLY INJUR YOU OR EVEN KILL YOU, OR YOUR STAFF? Yes, it most certainly can. Over the last 5 years, the price of diamond tools has plummeted, meaning that “manufacturers” take shortcuts with YOUR wellbeing. I personally have been designing and making diamond tools for 35+ years and never before have I seen such a plethora of JUNK diamond blades on the market. Every day, professional suppliers who do not take risks, hear the comments that they lost a sale solely based on price, or that the customer “imports” his own tools. WOULD YOU IMPORT YOUR OWN TYRES FOR YOUR CAR AND THEN SPEED OFF AT 320KM AN HOUR DOWN THE ROAD, WITH THE FAMILY ON BOARD?? Not likely. And, may I suggest, that you try to sue the “supplier” of the “imported product”, when the inevitable happens? No chance, as something like 99% of the Online diamond tool suppliers are simply brokers for mostly non reputable manufacturers. Statistics show that some 60% of diamond tool sellers in Australia do not even have Product or Public indemnity insurance. If an accident occurs as a result of a product bought from such a supplier, then if you are the importer then you can be deemed as the manufacturer!! Too dramatic? (OSHA) Occupational Safety and Hazards Administration quote “diamond-blades can lose a section causing injury as well and the results are extremely deadly. Sixty percent of the time a section of diamond-blade broke off and struck an operator, death ensued. The remaining 40% caused serious injuries requiring hospitalization”. Occupational Safety and Hazards Administration (OSHA) statistics show a 20% fatality rate for injuries resulting from hand saw or grinder kickbacks. The other 80% of injuries were serious enough to require hospitalization. One of the main causes of injuries from kick back is operator fatigue. When the operator becomes tired, they generally stand closer to the blade, trying to use their body weight for stability. Another reason is an incorrect blade for the task. The cut begins to take too long, heating up the blade, and a tired operator starts leaning closer. When the overheated blade begins to wobble it will kick back, and the proximity of the operator means a higher risk of injury. OSHA also quotes “In 2008, nearly 25,000 people were injured nationwide (USA) while using angle grinders and hand held saws (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission). Quality and Safety Costs. So next time you are asked to buy that “cheap” product, think about what you may be doing to your family or the families of your workers. PS. And if still not convinced, we suggest you take it up with a specialist law firm like the one shown above!!!!!! This article was written for Diamonds Magazine by Lloyd Williams who has been designing and manufacturing diamond tools throughout the world, for more than 35 years. Opinions in this article are not necessarily those of the CSDAA. Some comments via OSHA.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 08:14:27 +0000
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