RAMS for Abrasive Wheels

Abrasive wheels — angle grinders, cut-off saws, bench grinders, and disc grinders — are among the highest-frequency sources of serious injury on UK construction sites. Wheel disintegration, kickback, and contact injuries account for a significant proportion of RIDDOR-reportable hand, eye, and face injuries each year. A dedicated RAMS is not optional paperwork; it is the documented evidence that you have met the duty to risk-assess under Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and that operatives have been briefed on the specific controls before work begins.

Legal Framework

The primary legislative hooks are MHSWR 1999 Reg 3 (suitable and sufficient risk assessment), PUWER 1998 (provision and use of work equipment), and COSHH 2002 (dust exposure). The Abrasive Wheels Regulations 1970 were revoked and absorbed into PUWER, but the core duties — trained and competent mounting, correct wheel selection, and guarding — remain squarely within PUWER's scope. HSE guidance HSG17 and the associated INDG trinities remain the practical reference standard.

Key Hazards and Controls — Hierarchy Order

**Elimination and substitution** should be the first question. Can the cut be made with a mechanical saw, water-jet cutter, or cold chisel rather than a powered abrasive wheel? For internal masonry chases, a dedicated chasing tool with a two-blade configuration and integrated dust shroud significantly reduces both disc exposure and RCS generation compared to a large-diameter angle grinder.

**Engineering controls** are next. Guards must be in position and correctly adjusted before every use — removing or pinning back a guard is a PUWER breach and a common failing. Where cutting generates respirable crystalline silica (RCS), on-tool water suppression or local exhaust ventilation (LEV) is required; the EH40 WEL for RCS is 0.1 mg/m³ (8-hour TWA) and it is classified as a human carcinogen, so exposure must be reduced as far below the WEL as reasonably practicable, not merely kept below it. Dust extraction bags alone are insufficient for cutting operations.

**Administrative controls** include ensuring the operative holds recognised abrasive-wheels training (PUWER requires competence; most sites accept CSCS or equivalent card as evidence). Wheel selection must be checked before mounting: the wheel's maximum permissible RPM must equal or exceed the spindle speed of the machine, the bore must match the spindle without an adapter that reduces clamping area, and the wheel must be appropriate for the material being cut. A ring test — tap the unmounted wheel and listen for a clear tone rather than a dull thud, which indicates a crack — must be performed before fitting. Work planning should route operatives away from adjacent workers during cutting and establish exclusion zones for sparks. Where hot-works controls apply on site, abrasive cutting falls within their scope: a permit-to-work, fire watch, and appropriate extinguisher must be specified.

**PPE** is the last resort and must be specified in full: EN166-rated eye protection minimum, with a full-face visor strongly recommended for disc cutting; hearing protection where noise assessment confirms the need (cutting with a 230 mm grinder routinely exceeds 100 dB(A) at source); and RPE correctly selected for RCS. An FFP3 disposable mask carries an assigned protection factor of approximately 20; a half-face respirator with P3 filters approximately 20; a powered air-purifying respirator (TH3 hood) approximately 40. Where water suppression is also in use, RPE selection should be confirmed against the residual exposure.

Common Failings Found at Inspection

Disc type mismatch — using a cutting disc for grinding or vice versa — remains the most frequently cited defect. Equally common is the failure to check maximum RPM compatibility when a wheel is swapped between machines of different sizes. Guards are routinely found removed. Training records are either absent or cover general power-tool awareness rather than abrasive-wheel competence specifically. RAMS documents reference generic dust controls without identifying RCS as a carcinogen or specifying the 0.1 mg/m³ WEL.

What the RAMS Document Must Include

A compliant abrasive-wheels RAMS should contain: the specific machine(s) and wheel specification(s) covered; the task location and material being cut; the risk assessment covering wheel disintegration, kickback, contact, RCS dust, noise, and fire/sparks; control measures in hierarchy order as described above; evidence of operative training and competence (name, card number, expiry); confirmation that the guard is fitted and the correct RPE is available on site; emergency arrangements (nearest eye-wash, first-aider contact); and the signature of the operative confirming they have read and understood the document before starting work.