1. Five Steps to
Help Improve Eye
Protection and to
Safeguard Vision
According to the American Optometric Association,
thousands of eye injuries each and every year could
be prevented by the simple use of personal protection
equipment on the job. Chemicals, foreign objects, dust,
wood and metal scraps, and hot substances, such as oil
or grease, can cause eye abrasions, sometimes resulting
in permanent injury and vision loss. An article by the
association even goes on to cite the Department of Labor’s
report that noted a whopping 3 out of 5 recipients of eye
injuries in the U.S. workforce were not wearing any kind
of eye protection at the time of their injuries. To address
these concerns, OSHA has an extensive guide on the
use of personal
protection
equipment,
with particular
attention to
the eyes, along
with the steps
employers need to
take to keep their
workers safe from
these types of
injuries. Let’s take
a look at those
steps now.
1. Hazard Assessments
One of the first responsibilities in the safety chain
depends upon employers auditing their employees’ work
environment for potential hazards. For the purposes of this
blog post, let’s focus on hazards that pose a threat to eye
health and vision. Some of them are obvious, while others
are industry-specific and may require some additional
investigation to properly evaluate.
creativesafetysupply.com 1-866-777-1360The leaders in visual safety.
Projectiles: Projectiles, which can be small
bits of metal, wood, dust, concrete, rubber,
or other particles that are created within the
work space. Stations which involve sanding or
smoothing, cutting or sawing, or the breaking
down of materials in any way are usually the
most at risk to present this hazard.
Heated substances: While not inherently
great for your eyes, some substances, such
as oil and grease, pose a much greater threat
for ocular injury if heated. From restaurants
to metal factories, heated substances can
splash onto the face and into the eyes if not
adequately protected.
Chemicals: Now we’re starting to get a little
more industry/business specific, as not all
businesses deal with intrinsically harmful
chemicals on a regular basis, but when
they are involved, eyewear is crucial. Most
dangerous chemicals can be absorbed directly
through the eye’s cornea, or lens, causing
immediate pain and damage.
Radiation: In businesses making use of extremely
bright, ultraviolet, or infrared lights employees
are at huge risk for vision degeneration if their
eyes are not properly shielded.
Bloodborne pathogens: While these
factors, such as HIV and hepatitis, are not
commonly transmitted in workplaces, certain
professions are at increased risk. These
include paramedics and medical workers, and
janitorial staff.

2. 2. Identify and Provide PPE
After auditing your business for the types of eye risks your
employees are exposed to, grab them the right kind of PPE
for their eyes. The “right kind” of eyewear will depend on
the task at hand. If you only need to protect from flying
debris and particles, safety glasses with side shields will
likely be sufficient; though for extremely small things like
sawdust, goggles (like this one) may be preferred. For
dealing with chemicals of any kind, goggles must be worn
at all times. For heater particles, radiation, and higher
grade tasks, full face masks appropriate for the task must
be worn. “Appropriate for the task,” meaning that while
welding might not require an airtight seal to protect one’s
eyes, working with chemicals or radiation can necessitate
the need for a full and sealed off mask.
3. Training
Of course, all of that new equipment won’t do you any
good if your employees don’t know how to wear it!
Training and policy is key to high rates of compliance
with wearing PPE. There are many PPE training materials
out their including training DVDs (like this PPE training
DVD) that can help assist in your training. In many cases,
preventable injuries from a lack of PPE do not occur
because none was provided, but because an employee
simply wasn’t wearing what he or she was given. Especially
if you are introducing new PPE, or are experiencing a
problem with compliance rates, you need to train on the
proper times and manners in which each piece of gear is
to be worn. It’s not optional, and your employees should
understand this.
4. Upkeep
Not only should you check up with your employees on
a regular basis to ensure that PPE is being worn when
necessary, but you should check on your gear itself
at regular intervals (once per month is often a good
benchmark for mid-range equipment). If any of your
eyewear is starting to crack, or elastic bands are frayed,
consider ordering replacements as soon as possible. If you
all of a sudden find yourself short on gear count, you could
have some employees unable to work their regular stations.
5. Evaluate
Over time, as tasks change or technology is updated, you
may find that the type of PPE you’re using is no longer
the most effective option in its field; or it may even be
completely worthless if the risks and tasks your workers
are undertaking on the job have changed. Make sure
to evaluate your eyewear, as you should with all safety
protocols, once per year to ensure that they are still
effectively protecting your employees.
Safety is an ever-changing game in the workplace, but
you can easily stay ahead of the curb by following these
suggestions. Similar principles can be applied to all
kinds of other PPE, such as boots for foot or slip and fall
protection, or gloves for cut and abrasion protection.
Simply identify your risks, figure out what PPE will
effectively mitigate those risks/protect against them, train
your employees on whatever you buy, and monitor both
your workers and your equipment as time goes by to
ensure continued effectiveness.
creativesafetysupply.com 1-866-777-1360The leaders in visual safety.
About the author
Antonio Ferraro On behalf of Creative Safety Supply based in Portland, OR, I strive
to provide helpful information to create safer and more efficient industrial work en-
vironments. My knowledge base focuses primarily on practices such as 5S, Six Sigma,
Kaizen, and the Lean mindset. I believe in being proactive and that for positive change
to happen, we must be willing to be transparent and actively seek out areas in need of
improvement. An organized, safe, and well-planned work space leads to increased produc-
tivity, quality products and happier workplace
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