DST - Eye Protection 06may2020

Daily ESOH Topic
06 May 2020
Eye Protection
Eye injuries in the workplace are very common. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
reports that every day about 2,000 U.S. workers sustain job-related eye injuries that require medical treatment. However,
safety experts and eye doctors believe the right eye protection can lessen the severity or even prevent 90 percent of these
eye injuries.
Chemicals or foreign objects in the eye and cuts or scrapes on the cornea are common eye injuries that occur at work.
Other common eye injuries come from splashes with grease and oil, burns from steam, ultraviolet or infrared radiation
exposure, and flying wood or metal chips.
Workers experience eye injuries on the job for two major reasons:
1. They were not wearing eye protection.
2. They were wearing the wrong kind of protection for the job.
A Bureau of Labor Statistics survey of workers who suffered eye injuries revealed that nearly three out of five were not
wearing eye protection at the time of the accident. These workers most often reported that they believed protection was
not required for the situation.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires workers to use eye and face protection whenever
there is a reasonable probability of injury that could be prevented by such equipment. Personal protective eyewear, such as
goggles, face shields, safety glasses or full face respirators must be used when an eye hazard exists. The necessary eye
protection depends upon the type of hazard, the circumstances of exposure, other protective equipment used and
individual vision needs.
There are four things you can do to protect your eyes from injury:
• Know the eye safety dangers at your work.
• Eliminate hazards before starting work by using machine guards, work screens or other engineering controls.
• Use proper eye protection.
• Keep your safety eyewear in good condition and have it replaced if it becomes damaged.
Selection of protective eyewear appropriate for a given task should be made based on a hazard assessment of each
activity. Types of eye protection include:
Nonprescription and prescription safety glasses. Although safety glasses may look like normal dress eyewear, they are
designed to provide significantly more eye protection. The lenses and frames are much stronger than regular eyeglasses.
Safety glasses must meet standards of the European Norm. Look for the EN 166 mark on the lens or frame.
Safety glasses provide eye protection for general working conditions where there may be dust, chips or flying particles.
Side shields and wraparound-style safety glasses can provide additional side protection.
Safety lenses are available in plastic, polycarbonate and Trivex ™ materials. While all four types must meet or exceed the
minimum requirements for protecting your eyes, polycarbonate lenses provide the highest level of protection from impact.
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Daily ESOH Topic
Goggles. Goggles provide protection from impact, dust and chemical splash. Like safety glasses, safety goggles are highly
impact-resistant. In addition, they provide a secure shield around the entire eye and protect against hazards coming from
any direction. Goggles can be worn over prescription glasses and contact lenses.
Face shields and helmets. Full face shields protect workers exposed to chemicals, heat or blood-borne pathogens.
Helmets are used for welding or working with molten materials. Face shields and helmets should not be the only
protective eyewear. They need to be used in conjunction with safety glasses or goggles, so the eyes are protected when the
shield is lifted.
Special protection. Helmets or goggles with special filters to protect the eyes from optical radiation exposure should be
used for welding or working with lasers.
Safety glasses must fit properly to provide adequate protection. Also, eye protection devices must be properly maintained.
Scratched and dirty devices reduce vision, cause glare and may contribute to accidents.
Combined with machine guards, screened or divided work stations, and other engineering controls, using the correct
protective eyewear can help keep you safe from any type of eye hazard.
Source: https://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/caring-for-your-vision/protecting-your-vision
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