In my maker space, guards are required. I have taken several trainings with people who use angle grinders professionally and apparently removing a guard is the normal professional practice for a lot of well-founded reasons.
This is one reason why I do not want to work in a trade like welding or fabrication professionally. At the same time it indicates that with care it's possible to follow the norms of a profession for long periods of time even if they often seem dangerous.
One thing I noticed when I was climbing a lot- the safer and more knowledgeable climbers I went out with used far less redundant equipment (fewer locking or doubled carbiners for instance). At the same time they were far picker about how the equipment was used- one partner would yell at folks to keep hands off the grigri (a belay device that is very common for folks to hold while using).
I get why different equipment calls for various "guard rails". At the same time, safety is in the usage and not the devices- forgetting that fact is dangerous in itself.
No good material. The usual material for safety glasses (polycarbonate) scratches easily. A grinder guard would be see-through for about three seconds.
FWIW, the reason cited for removing the guards was not vision, but access- it is difficult to get the tool in position when you're working on large objects that can't be re positioned.
I used a grinder almost daily without a guard for years because what i was grinding was 2"+ steel rods buried underground.
I couldn't move myself or reposition the work.
I'm not advocating removing the guards but there are actual reasons why people hate them.
I see some grinders like Milwaukee have guards that can be quickly rotated around the blade. That's not always enough, though. Ive also seen some Welders cut their guards in half, for clearance and at least a shred more safety.
This is one reason why I do not want to work in a trade like welding or fabrication professionally. At the same time it indicates that with care it's possible to follow the norms of a profession for long periods of time even if they often seem dangerous.
One thing I noticed when I was climbing a lot- the safer and more knowledgeable climbers I went out with used far less redundant equipment (fewer locking or doubled carbiners for instance). At the same time they were far picker about how the equipment was used- one partner would yell at folks to keep hands off the grigri (a belay device that is very common for folks to hold while using).
I get why different equipment calls for various "guard rails". At the same time, safety is in the usage and not the devices- forgetting that fact is dangerous in itself.