Eye Safety
- About 60% of all eye injuries are suffered by people not wearing any eye protection. This includes pedestrians and those just passing through an area.
- Another 40% of eye injury victims use incorrect eye protection for the job that they are performing.
- Falling and shooting projectiles can go between the victim’s face and the glasses or goggles if the eyewear doesn’t have side shields or brow bars.
Read this scenario...
A metal worker was grinding excess metal from a weld when she realized that she had forgotten to put on her grinding goggles. To keep the parts that were moving down the line from backing up, she continued to work without the goggles. Her safety glasses weren’t enough to save her eye as she was struck in the eye from small particles from the grinding.
Lesson: Always wear the proper protection for your particular job application.
Types of Eye Protection:
- Safety glasses offer frontal limited protection and are suitable for only minimal hazards.
- Side shields on safety glasses help prevent objects from entering from the side. Brow bars attached to the top of the frames provide additional protection.
- Goggles are required for jobs such as chipping, grinding, sanding, buffing and polishing; face shields may be necessary when performing these tasks.
- Chipping goggles fitted with eye cups and clear or tinted lenses provide protection against fast moving metal particles, sparks and dust.
- Face shields, which are worn over other eye protection for additional safety, are never to be worn alone. They must be worn over regular safety glasses or goggles.
Other Safety Tips:
- In the event of an eye injury, never rub your eyes or attempt to remove a foreign object yourself.
- Prompt emergency care is the safest course in dealing with an eye injury.
- When working with any chemical, check the MSDS and job procedure for the recommended eye protection as well as other personal protection that you must have.