ACRE Safety Thought # 34

Sharpening a hoe seems simple enough, just put on your eye protection, turn on the wheel grinder, and carefully sharpen the cutting edge. The first hazard to avoid is eye injury. So please wear eye protection every time you use a wheel grinder to sharpen your hoe at ACRE. It is required! Even though it is a simple job, safety is still required to avoid an accident. Other hazards will include finger or hand injury if they come in contact with the rotating wheel. Check the wheel before starting for signs of cracking or stone fatigue. You do not want a wheel to fail and disintegrate while you are using it. It is important to firmly and steadily brace the hoe on the tongue guard during sharpening. If the hoe bounces or vibrates excessively during sharpening, then stop and reposition the hoe or look for grinder problems. Always check that the gap between the grinder’s abrasive wheel and the tongue guard is less than 0.250” and that the tongue guard is secure. Plan, think, train, and work safely at ACRE Jim