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Why Is it Important to Wear Safety Glasses?
by Mary Beth Northrup
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Overview
Why Is it Important to Wear Safety Glasses?
According to the Prevent Blindness America organization, more than 800,000 work-related eye injuries occur every year. Of these, as many as 10 to 20 percent of these injuries cause temporary or permanent vision loss. That does not include eye injuries that occur at home or while engaging in sports activities. Experts believe that up to 90 percent of eye injuries can be prevented by wearing safety glasses.
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Hazards
Eye protection is needed for any job task that may expose employees to flying objects (dust, splinters or chips) or hazardous material splashes. Other job tasks such as welding or servicing lasers may cause harm to the eye. There are just as many potential eye hazards off the job. Power tools and lawn trimming may create hazardous flying debris. Pouring or mixing household chemicals may result in chemical splashes. Sports activities such as target shooting and racquetball also present eye hazards.
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Misconceptions
Some believe that radiation from computer monitors can damage the eye, however, computer screens actually emit little or no harmful radiation. Although users may complain of eye fatigue and discomfort, this is due to other factors such as dry eyes and eye strain. Eye strain can be minimized by the proper placement of the monitor screen, adjusting lighting and taking breaks to allow eyes to rest. If the user wears prescription glasses for computer use, eye strain can signal that their prescription needs to be adjusted.
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Common Types
Safety glasses are made with reinforced frames and shatter-resistant plastic or glass lenses. The glasses can be equipped with permanent or detachable side shields. Safety glass frames come in a wide variety of styles and can be fitted with prescription lenses. Another type of glasses is designed to fit over regular prescription frames. All of these types of safety glasses protect against flying debris.
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Special Types
Special types of eye protection are designed to protect against specific hazards. Laser safety glasses are fitted with special lenses that filter out the laser's specific wavelength of light. Plastic goggles are used to protect against splashes from chemicals or body fluids. Other types of eye protection include full face shields and welder's helmets.
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Policies
Employers are required to follow U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations governing eye protection. Most employers also will have internal policies requiring the use of designated safety equipment, including safety glasses. Failure to follow policy can result in disciplinary action up to and including termination. In most cases employers are required to provide safety glasses to employees at no cost, although there are exceptions for prescription safety glasses.
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Benefits
From an employer perspective, preventing eye injuries through the use of safety glasses saves money by avoiding injury costs, lost productivity, insurance costs, lawsuits and possible fines. From a worker perspective, preventing eye injury also avoids the resulting pain, time off work, lost wages and medical bills. Most importantly, wearing safety glasses may prevent a potentially catastrophic injury: blindness.
