Eye protection at work could eliminate 90% of eye injuries. Listen to hear how easy it is to protect your eyes on the job.
Flying or falling objects account for the lion’s share of eye injuries in the workplace. The sources are as varied as job descriptions—dust, chemical vapors, liquid chemicals, molten metals, and intense light are examples.
In this podcast, Dan Clark tells of four grades of eye protection: safety glasses, safety goggles, face shields, and welding helmets. Dan also offers common-sense tips on care of your eye protection.
TRANSCRIPT:
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Dan Clark: What’s better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick? How about using eye protection at work? . . .because you never know when sharp sticks or other hazards could be around.
Hi there, I’m Dan Clark of The Safety Brief. This is where we talk about health and safety hazards in today’s demanding industry l and construction worksites.
I didn’t know this, but 90% of serious eye injuries could be prevented if workers use the right PPE. October is Eye Injury Prevention Month. Let’s spend some time on picking the right eyewear for jobs in your workplace.
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KNOW THE HAZARDS.
Almost 3/4 of eye injuries come from flying or falling objects. Many of these are smaller than the head of a pin. Others include chemical gases, liquid chemicals such as acids, liquid metals and light radiation from hot work.
Choose the right eyewear. Here are four categories to consider:
1. SAFETY GLASSES. These protect you from flying objects. Safety glasses are similar to regular eyeglasses. Some have side protection, others have UV protection, and they can be made with prescription lenses. Many are designed to be worn over regular glasses.
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2. SAFETY GOGGLES. These protect against dust, or things that could splash in the eyes. They seal to your face. Some are ventilated, others are non-ventilated. Non-ventilated goggles give you even more protection. Remember, goggles and glasses need to fit your face. Noncompliance is, many times, related to poor fit or discomfort.
3. FACE SHIELDS. These protect against greater impacts. Maybe you’ve seen NBA players use these. Well, they do everything except protect the eyeballs, so a face shield should always be worn with safety glasses or goggles.
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4. WELDING HELMETS. These save you from light radiation, but you must have the appropriate protective shade number to filter that light. Other glasses and goggles can also filter light for welding, but helmets provide the highest level of protection.
Don’t forget to care for your eyewear:
Clean it on a regular basis with soap and water.
If fogging is a problem, there are anti-fog solutions.
Always replace damaged eyewear, even if it’s just scratched.
And if more than one person uses the same eyewear, it needs to be disinfected between uses.
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That’s it for this episode on Eye Protection At Work. Come back for more ways to stay safety compliant in today’s ever-changing landscape of safety requirements. I’m Dan Clark of The Safety Brief, a service of Creative Safety Supply. creativesafetysupply.com
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