March is Workplace Eye Wellness Month sponsored by Prevent Blindness. This month’s campaign is hoping to provide employers and employees with free information on all eye wellness topics ranging from eye strain to eye safety in industrial settings, in order to promote all around eye health at work and at home. As we have discussed why eye health is important, how various workplace hazards can affect the eyes, and that different precautions and protections need to be used for different environments, this blog discusses the differences between various eye protections.
Thousands of eye accidents happen each day, with about 20% causing temporary or permanent vision loss. However, over 90% of these injuries are preventable or the extent of the injury could have been minimized with the use of the proper safety eyewear. To prevent an eye injury, you first have to know the eye safety dangers in your workspace and eliminate any hazards before starting work. Anyone working in or passing through areas that pose remaining eye hazards should then wear protective eyewear. Safety eyewear can range from: non-prescription and prescription safety glasses, goggles, face shields, welding helmets, or full-face respirators. The type of protection you wear depends on the hazards in your workplace. If you're working in an area with particles, flying objects, or dust you must wear safety glasses with side protection (side shields). If you're working with chemicals, you should wear goggles. If you are working near hazardous radiation (welding, lasers, fiber optics) you must use special-purpose safety glasses, goggles, face shields, or helmets specific to your task.
Different protections are made with different protective materials, such as glass, plastic, or polycarbonate lenses. All meet the requirements for protecting your eyes but have different intended purposes. Glass lenses are not easily scratched, can be used around chemicals, can be made with a corrective prescription, and are sometimes heavy. Plastic lenses are lighter weight, protect against welding splatter, less likely to fog, and are less scratch-resistant. Polycarbonate lenses are lightweight, protect against welding splatter, are not likely to fog, are stronger than glass and plastic, are more impact resistant, and are less scratch resistant.
Eye injury can take many forms and happen in many different settings. Thus, make your employees aware of proper eye protection and healthy habits to avoid eye injuries. To learn more about Eye Wellness Month visit: https://preventblindness.org/preventing-eye-injuries/#1585701834003-65402908-aa1a.
DII is your partner in workplace safety. Our team of experts can work with you to understand how to educate your employees and keep everyone’s eyes healthy in all types of hazardous environments. Please contact your DII representative for more information. #OSHA #PreventBlindness #EyeHealth
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