On average, over 2000 in the United States suffer an eye injury every single day! Almost one million Americans have experienced some vision loss due to eye injury, which results in more than $300 million in lost work time, medical expenses and workman’s compensation. Close to 70% of these accidents occur because of a flying or falling objects, with most of those objects being smaller than the head of a pin!

March is Workplace Eye Wellness Month, and it’s the perfect time to review current safety guidelines and implement wellness and safety protocol for eye health. It’s also a good idea to have an eye safety checklist. Don’t have one? Here’s a quick eye safety checklist to get you started:

Evaluate Safety Hazards and Create Safe Work Environment
• Identify safety hazards and minimize any hazards from falling or unstable objects
• Eliminate hazards by using machine guarding, work screens or other engineering controls
• Check equipment and tools on a regular basis to make sure they are working properly and that safety features are in place
• Train employees how to use tools properly – including re-training employees on a regular basis to make sure they are continuing to keep safety top of mind
• Make sure eyewash stations are stocked and properly functioning – and employees are trained on how to use these stations
• Keep all nonessential people away from hazardous areas – and if they must be in the area, make sure they have essential safety equipment such as hardhats and safety goggles

Wear Proper Eye and Face Protection
• Make sure to have the correct forms of eye protection that fit right and stay in place
• Check to make sure goggles and safety glasses are clean and not scratched
• Use anti-dust or anti-fog sprays to prevent build-up, and replace damaged lenses or shields

Instill Workplace Safety Practices
• Always brush, shake or vacuum dust and debris from hardhats, hair, forehead and brow before removing protective eyewear
• Do not rub eyes with dirty hands or clothing
• Clean eyewear regularly

Even so-called minor eye injuries can cause life-long vision problems and suffering. Workplace eye safety is imperative! Protect your employees from becoming an eye injury statistic!

More than 700,000 employees injure their eyes at work each year in the United States – that’s more than 2000 a day! Three hundred thousand of these injuries send employees to the emergency rooms each year, and 10-20% cause temporary or permanent vision loss. The most common causes for eye injuries are from flying bits of metal or glass, tools, particles, chemicals, harmful radiation or a combination of these hazards.

Experts believe using proper safety eyewear could have prevented, or at least lessened, 90% of the eye injuries occurring at work. Other than using the right eye protection, knowing the eye safety dangers at work is extremely important. Complete an eye hazard assessment, described in 29 CFR 1910.132 and Appendix B to Subpart I, and then eliminating hazards before starting work, such as machine guarding, work screens or other engineering controls. Doing these three things can greatly reduce the likelihood of a workplace eye injury.

But what type of safety eye protection should you wear? That really depends on the hazards at your workplace. If you are working in an area that has particles, flying objects or dust, you must wear at least safety glasses with side shields. If you are working with chemicals, you should wear goggles. If you are working near hazardous radiation, such as welding, lasers or fiber optics, then you must use specific eye protection for such jobs, including safety glasses, goggles, face shields or helmets designed for that specific task.

Here are a couple other tips to keep in mind to promote eye safety in the workplace:
• Employees should have regular comprehensive eye exams to verify their vision is adequate to complete their jobs safely.
• When an employee already has reduced vision, company provided prescription glasses or goggles would ensure more protective eyewear usage
• Make sure all employees know where the nearest eyewash station is at work and how to use it to properly clean their eyes
Your eyesight is your most critical sense. Protect it by making sure you are wearing the most appropriate and well-fitting eye safety protection – for Eye Injury Prevention Month and every month afterwards.

Each day an average of 2,000 workers in the United States suffers job-related eye injuries requiring medical treatment. That’s according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH),

Approximately three out of every five workers who experienced eye injuries were not wearing eye protection at the time of the accident or were not wearing the proper kind of eye protection for the task. That’s according to a survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The BLS also reported that in 2014 there were 23,730 eye injuries requiring time away from work that year, accounting for 6 percent of the total of all lost-time cases in both private industry and state and local government.

What we don’t need these statistics to tell us is that eye injuries can be life-changing. Their effects can range from simple eye strain to severe trauma that result in permanent damage or loss of vision. Blunt trauma can damage the eye directly or even the bones that surround it.

According to OSHA, thousands of workers are blinded each year from occupational injuries that could have been prevented through properly selected and fitted vision protection. Such personal protective equipment which must be worn by employees who are exposed to hazardous chemical splash, dust, and particulate matter.

OSHA Face Protection Standard 1910.133(a) (1) states that it is the responsibility of the employer to “ensure that each affected employee uses appropriate eye or face protection when exposed to eye or face hazards.” That includes making sure the PPE uses eye protection that provides side protection when there is a hazard from flying objects (OSHA Face Protection Standard 1910.133(a) (2). For those who wear prescription lenses, OSHA Face Protection Standard 1910.133(a)(3) requires that each affected employee “engaged in operations that involve eye hazards wears eye protection that incorporates the prescription in its design, or wears eye protection that can be worn over the prescription lenses without disturbing the proper position of the prescription lenses or the protective lenses.”

Common forms of PPE for the face and eyes safety glasses, goggles, face shields, and full face respirators. However, PPE selection depends upon the type of hazard, the circumstances of exposure, the type of other PPE to be used, and an individual’s vision needs.

OSHA standards recommend that a person should always wear properly fitted eye protective gear when:
-Doing work that may produce particles, slivers, or dust from materials like wood, metal, plastic, cement, and drywall;
-Hammering, sanding, grinding, or doing masonry work;
-Working with power tools;
-Working with chemicals, including common household chemicals like ammonia, oven cleaners, and bleach;
-Using a lawnmower, riding mower, or other motorized gardening devices like string trimmers;
-Working with wet or powdered cement;
-Welding (which requires extra protection like a welding mask or helmet from sparks and UV radiation);
-“Jumping” the battery of a motor vehicle;
-Being a bystander to any of the above situations.

OSHA notes that ensuring PPE fits an employee properly is essential to effectively protecting that person; this is particularly true with eye protection. Without a good fit, protective eyewear is likely to be uncomfortable, to slip, and possibly to be damaged or even discarded. Again, we don’t need statistics to tell us that the consequences of even brief lapses in protection can be severe.

OSHA's Eye and Face Protection eTool (available at https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/eyeandface/index.html) offers a basic hazard assessment table to help employers begin the process of selecting proper PPE. The table lists five types of vision hazard that might be encountered at work – impact, heat, chemicals, dust, and optical radiation — and offers examples and common tasks related to each.

One final note: OSHA urges employers not to rely on PPE devices alone to protect hazards. Instead, personal protective gear should be a part of a safety environment that includes engineering controls and robust safety practices.

Eye injuries on the job can occur from a variety of sources, from exposure to chemicals or particulate matter to cuts or scrapes to the cornea. Other common sources of eye (and skin) injuries are splashes, steam burns and exposure to ultraviolet or infrared radiation.

Every day, an average of 2000 workers in the United States suffer job-related eye injuries that require medical treatment, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). March has been designated as Workplace Eye Wellness Month, a time to focus on vision safety on the job. Obviously, that should be a year-round concern; anytime is a good time to determine what personal protective equipment is appropriate for the job, review eye and face protection protocols with employees, and ensure they are correctly using the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) for the job.

According to OSHA Face Protection Standard 1910.133(a) (1), it is the responsibility of the employer to "ensure that each affected employee uses appropriate eye or face protection when exposed to eye or face hazards." That includes making sure the PPE uses eye protection that provides side protection when there is a hazard from flying objects (OSHA Face Protection Standard 1910.133(a) (2). For those who wear prescription lenses, OSHA Face Protection Standard 1910.133(a)(3) requires that each affected employee "engaged in operations that involve eye hazards wears eye protection that incorporates the prescription in its design, or wears eye protection that can be worn over the prescription lenses without disturbing the proper position of the prescription lenses or the protective lenses."

The PPE selected depends upon the type of hazard, the circumstances of exposure, the type of other PPE to be used, and a person’s vision needs. Common forms of PPE for the face and eyes include safety glasses, goggles, face shields, and full face respirators.

Of course, having the PPE is only part of equation: The equipment will only do its job properly if it is used properly. A Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) survey of workers who suffered eye injuries showed that nearly three out of five were not wearing eye protection at the time of the accident. The workers in the survey most often reported that they believed protection was not required for the situation.

A final thought: OSHA urges employers not to rely exclusively upon PPE devices to protect against eye hazards. Personal protective gear should be a part of a safety environment that includes guards, engineering controls, and robust safety practices.

How is your workplace watching over employee eye safety?