Worker suffers gruesome accident while using grinder while standing on ladder

A 71-year-old man who was using an electric grinder tool while standing on a ladder suffered a massive cut from his face down to his chest.

The worker was standing on a ladder and cutting steel wall frames above his head at an industrial shed in Darwin when the accident happened, a safety watchdog says.

The worker had been using a five-inch angle grinder - an electric sharpening tool - to make the initial cuts, but switched to the larger grinder to finish the job faster, according to NT WorkSafe.

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The grinder "kicked-back", causing the gruesome injury, which ran from the worker's face, down his throat and into his chest.

NT WorkSafe issued a warning over using such tools.

It shared a photo of the grinder and the man's stitches.

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It said the nine inch versions of the tool can be harder to control, and added the worker wasn't in a stable position.

It also said his eclectic lead could have been overloaded.

NT WorkSafe urged workers to carry out a risk assessment to identify alternative tools or methods of cutting before using a nine inch angle grinder.

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Workers should make sure they have proper balance, and secure items they're cutting.

Electric power tools and leads should only be modified by professionals.