5
8. Wear personal protective equipment. Depending
on application, use face shield, safety goggles
or safety glasses. As appropriate, wear dust
mask, hearing protectors, gloves and workshop
apron capable of stopping small abrasive or
workpiece fragments. The eye protection must be
capable of stopping flying debris generated by vari-
ous operations. The dust mask or respirator must be
capable of filtrating particles generated by your oper-
ation. Prolonged exposure to high intensity noise
may cause hearing loss.
9. Keep bystanders a safe distance away from work
area. Anyone entering the work area must wear
personal protective equipment. Fragments of
workpiece or of a broken accessory may fly away
and cause injury beyond immediate area of opera-
tion.
10. Hold power tool by insulated gripping surfaces
only, when performing an operation where the
cutting accessory may contact hidden wiring or
its own cord. Cutting accessory contacting a “live”
wire may make exposed metal parts of the power
tool “live” and shock the operator.
11. Position the cord clear of the spinning acces-
sory. If you lose control, the cord may be cut or
snagged and your hand or arm may be pulled into
the spinning accessory.
12. Never lay the power tool down until the acces-
sory has come to a complete stop. The spinning
accessory may grab the surface and pull the power
tool out of your control.
13. Do not run the power tool while carrying it at
your side. Accidental contact with the spinning
accessory could snag your clothing, pulling the
accessory into your body.
14. Regularly clean the power tool’s air vents. The
motor’s fan will draw the dust inside the housing and
excessive accumulation of powdered metal may
cause electrical hazards.
15. Do not operate the power tool near flammable
materials. Sparks could ignite these materials.
16. Do not use accessories that require liquid cool-
ants. Using water or other liquid coolants may result
in electrocution or shock.
Kickback and Related Warnings
Kickback is a sudden reaction to a pinched or snagged
rotating wheel, backing pad, brush or any other acces-
sory. Pinching or snagging causes rapid stalling of the
rotating accessory which in turn causes the uncontrolled
power tool to be forced in the direction opposite of the
accessory’s rotation at the point of the binding.
For example, if an abrasive wheel is snagged or pinched
by the workpiece, the edge of the wheel that is entering
into the pinch point can dig into the surface of the mate-
rial causing the wheel to climb out or kick out. The wheel
may either jump toward or away from the operator,
depending on direction of the wheel’s movement at the
point of pinching. Abrasive wheels may also break under
these conditions.
Kickback is the result of power tool misuse and/or incor-
rect operating procedures or conditions and can be
avoided by taking proper precautions as given below.
a) Maintain a firm grip on the power tool and posi-
tion your body and arm to allow you to resist kick-
back forces. Always use auxiliary handle, if
provided, for maximum control over kickback or
torque reaction during start-up. The operator can
control torque reactions or kickback forces, if proper
precautions are taken.
b) Never place your hand near the rotating acces-
sory. Accessory may kickback over your hand.
c) Do not position your body in the area where
power tool will move if kickback occurs. Kickback
will propel the tool in direction opposite to the wheel’s
movement at the point of snagging.
d) Use special care when working corners, sharp
edges etc. Avoid bouncing and snagging the
accessory. Corners, sharp edges or bouncing have
a tendency to snag the rotating accessory and cause
loss of control or kickback.
e) Do not attach a saw chain woodcarving blade or
toothed saw blade. Such blades create frequent
kickback and loss of control.
Safety Warnings Specific for Abrasive Cutting-Off
Operations:
a) Use only wheel types that are recommended for
your power tool and the specific guard designed
for the selected wheel. Wheels for which the power
tool was not designed cannot be adequately guarded
and are unsafe.
b) The guard must be securely attached to the
power tool and positioned for maximum safety,
so the least amount of wheel is exposed towards
the operator. The guard helps to protect operator
from broken wheel fragments and accidental contact
with wheel.
c) Wheels must be used only for recommended
applications. For example: do not grind with the
side of cut-off wheel. Abrasive cut-off wheels are
intended for peripheral grinding, side forces applied
to these wheels may cause them to shatter.
d) Always use undamaged wheel flanges that are of
correct size and shape for your selected wheel.
Proper wheel flanges support the wheel thus reduc-
ing the possibility of wheel breakage. Flanges for cut-
off wheels may be different from grinding wheel
flanges.
e) Do not use worn down wheels from larger power
tools. Wheel intended for larger power tool is not
suitable for the higher speed of a smaller tool and
may burst.
Additional Safety Warnings Specific for Abrasive
Cutting-Off Operations:
a) Do not “jam” the cut-off wheel or apply excessive
pressure. Do not attempt to make an excessive
depth of cut. Overstressing the wheel increases the
loading and susceptibility to twisting or binding of the
wheel in the cut and the possibility of kickback or
wheel breakage.
b) Do not position your body in line with and behind
the rotating wheel. When the wheel, at the point of
operation, is moving away from your body, the possi-
ble kickback may propel the spinning wheel and the
power tool directly at you.
