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Selection, mounting and safe use

Abrasive Wheels Training

A disc doing 6,000 rpm does not forgive a shortcut.

Half day (approx. 4 hours) Up to 10 delegates From £95 per delegate On-site from £650 per group
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What this course is

Cut-off saws and angle grinders are on every site in the country, usually in the hands of whoever picked them up. This course covers wheel selection, correct mounting, guarding, and the two risks people forget about: silica dust and vibration.

Abrasive wheel incidents tend to be catastrophic rather than minor — wheel burst, kickback, and severe lacerations. The slower harms, silica and HAVS, are just as serious and far more common.

Who it is for

  • Operatives using angle grinders, cut-off saws and bench grinders
  • Groundworkers, fabricators and maintenance teams
  • Supervisors issuing and inspecting tools

What delegates will be able to do

  • Explain how abrasive wheels are constructed and why they fail
  • Read and interpret a wheel marking and match it to the machine and the task
  • Check RPM ratings and understand the consequences of exceeding them
  • Inspect, store and handle wheels correctly, including the ring test where applicable
  • Mount and dress a wheel correctly, with the right flanges and guarding
  • Control silica dust through on-tool extraction and water suppression
  • Understand HAVS, exposure points and trigger time management
  • Select the correct PPE and set up a safe cutting position

Course content

Wheel constructionAbrasives, bonds, grades and structure — and what actually causes a burst.
The lawPUWER 1998, employer duties and the requirement for competence and appointment.
Wheel markingsDecoding the marking, maximum operating speed and application matching.
Storage, handling and inspectionDamage, contamination, shelf life and pre-use checks.
MountingFlanges, blotters, torque, dressing and guard adjustment.
Silica dustRCS exposure, on-tool extraction, water suppression and RPE face fit.
HAVSExposure action and limit values, trigger time and health surveillance.
PracticalSupervised inspection, mounting and cutting technique.

Assessment & certification

Assessment: Practical mounting and inspection assessment plus a written knowledge check.

Prerequisites: Delegates should be over 18 and familiar with basic power tool use.

Equipment: Machines, wheels and PPE provided. Delegates may bring their own machines for on-site delivery.

Straight answer on certification: our trainers are experienced construction professionals, courses are properly structured and assessed, and delegates receive a CRP Construction Academy certificate of training as an in-house record of competence for your training matrix. We are working towards recognised scheme accreditation — if a specific scheme card is a contract requirement for your site, tell us before booking and we will be straight with you about whether we are the right fit.

Common questions

Is abrasive wheels training a legal requirement?

PUWER requires that anyone using work equipment is competent, and it specifically requires that people who mount abrasive wheels are trained and appointed. In practice that means training.

Do you cover 300mm cut-off saws as well as grinders?

Yes — the principles are the same and we cover both, including petrol disc cutters and the additional exhaust and fuelling risks.

Does this include face fit testing?

No, that is a separate service. We can point you to a provider, and face fit is on our own roadmap.

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Book Abrasive Wheels

Individual places on scheduled dates, or the whole gang trained on your site. Either way, it starts here.

See dates & book Request a quote