There are regulations requiring your employer and supervisor to ensure that you use appropriate eye or face protection when exposed to eye or face hazards from flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals, acids, caustic gases, vapors or potentially injurious light radiation. Your employer is to also see that you use eye protection that provides side protection when there is a hazard from flying objects.
Even with company policies and government regulations requiring the use of personal protective equipment, accidents still occur. Why do these accidents continue to occur? Employees just aren’t using their safety eyewear. Reported statistics suggest that three out of every five workers who received eye injuries were not wearing eye protection at the time of the accident. Other reports indicate that individuals were harmed when they wore the wrong kind of eye protection for the job.
You and your supervisor must determine where the eye hazards are located and what kind of equipment will best protect your eyesight. Look for these typical eye hazards at your worksite:
Dust, mists, fumes, sparks, high heat, flying particles, power tools, extreme cold, molten metal, chemical splash (liquid chemicals, acids or caustic liquids), welding and brazing.
Always use the right personal protection for the specific eye or face hazard.
Once you have determined the eye hazards, you will need to select the best protection to be used. Safety eyewear comes in many different types and styles, from glasses with side shields to goggles and helmets.
Types of Protection
Injuries have occurred by objects or chemicals going around or under the protector when it is loose. When fitting, ensure the eye protection is snug but allows air to circulate between the eye and the lens.
Training
Remember, to prevent eye injuries always wear effective eye protection.