Safety Glasses

Eye injuries are among the most frequently reported work place injury. Ironically, eye injuries are also one of the easiest injuries to avoid. Studies have shown that nearly 1,000 eye injuries occur every day in workplaces across America. The proper use of safety glasses can greatly reduce the occurrence and severity of on the job eye injuries, saving individuals, businesses, and insurance companies millions of dollars spent on medical expenses, workers compensation, and lost production time.

There are many kinds of protective eye wear on the market today. It is important not only to use safety glasses but to use the right kind for the job that is being performed, and to wear them correctly. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, otherwise known as OSHA, is working with state and volunteer agencies to increase awareness about eye safety in the workplace and to set standards for safety glasses and other eye protection.

OSHA has determined that three out of five workers who suffered eye injuries while on the job were not wearing safety glasses or other adequate eye protection at the time of their injury. Among the workers who were wearing safety glasses and still sustained eye injury, many of them were not wearing safety glasses with side shields to better protect the eye. This information has helped to motivate OSHA in its nationwide campaign for better education in the workplace regarding the importance of using safety glasses.

The majority of eye related injuries sustained in the workplace are a result of either flying particles or contact with chemical agents, with flying particles leading the pack with almost 70% of injuries sustained. A small number of accidents are the result of swinging objects, such as ropes, tree limbs, chains, or tools.

The flying particles or sparks that have been known to cause injuries were most often smaller than a pin head and traveling faster than a hand-thrown object. The best and often only protection that the eyes can have against such particles is by being covered with safety glasses or safety goggles specifically designed for that purpose.

Many injuries occur in craft industries or while operating industrial equipment. Machine operators, construction workers, mechanics, sanders, and repairers are at especially high risk. Imagine the effect that a sandblaster has: using tiny particles of sand propelled at high speeds it is able to cut into stone and other materials. Now imagine what effect that sand could have on the unprotected human eye!

Because work environments vary, safety glasses and safety goggles vary to meet the demand of the worker. There is a wide variety of eye safety wear available on the market today. In order for safety glasses to be effective they must be appropriate for the work hazard involved and by properly fitted to the worker. In examples where workers were injured while wearing safety glasses, over 90 percent of those injuries were the result of particles or chemicals going under or around the eye protector. Eye goggles offer better protection for the eye than the use of helmets or face shields alone. Ideally, eye goggles or safety glasses should be used with helmets or face shields when appropriate.

Safety glasses are more beneficial than face shields or helmets for a number of reasons. They look much like normal glasses and therefore are more comfortable to wear, but they are designed to protect against flying particles. Safety glasses are built with impact resistant lenses and strong frames, and they must meet standards set by the American National Standards Institute, or ANSI. They are even available in prescription form for those workers who require the use of corrective lenses.

Since not all safety glasses are created equal, it is important to determine what additional protective equipment is needed (such as tinted lenses or side shields) for the job at hand. Remember that the number one thing that can be done to reduce the occurrence and severity of eye injuries in the workplace is simple and inexpensive: Cover them up!

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Categories: Eye Health,

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Tags: safety_glasses safety_goggles workplace_injury OSHA job_safety flying_particles hazards face_shields eye_safety protection protective_wear