It can be said without debate that current use of eye protection in the workplace has long been driven by OSHA regulations and by employers practicing good risk management. Every day an estimated 2,000 eye injuries occur in American workplaces and the financial cost of these injuries are enormous – more than a billion dollars per year in lost production time, medical expenses, and workers comp (OSHA).
Employees have long thought of eye protection usage as a mandate and only after an accident occurs are the benefits of wearing protection considered. Are we to fault the user solely for this lack of compliance? While the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that nearly 60% of workers injured reported are not wearing eye protection when injured, the other 40% of those injured were wearing some form of eye protection the time the accident occurred. Eye protection has long been uncomfortable, ill fitting, and manufactured without thought or consideration for the varied needs of the user. Today, advancements in safety features and the drive for making eyewear more comfortable and adjustable for the individual wearer, make compliance in the workplace an easier task for the user. All of these choices, however, do create an unintended consequence: With so many choices, how does one choose the right kind of eye protection?
Analyze the environmental threats. It is of outmost importance that every risk is considered, analyzed, and matched to the appropriate eyewear product. On the job, fleet drivers and maintenance personnel must consider not just impact protection but also chemical splash exposure, airborne dust and particulates, as well as heat exposure and optical radiation (light). Every risk, no matter how small the probability, should be treated with equal importance.
Match the threat with protection features. Just like your toolbox has many tools that at first glance perform the same function, so should you have different eye protection equipment to meet the needs of your job. Your toolbox should have more than one pair of safety glasses, goggles, and full-face mask protectors, because you will not find one product that will meet all of your needs all of the time. The American National Standards Institute’s ANSI Z87.1-2010 standard for safety eyewear goes a long way toward defining how a product should perform, but it is important to look for “beyond compliance” features that will ensure a product will afford the greatest level of protection for the user, while at the same time providing comfort, fit, and style that drive compliance from the wearer.
Don’t skimp on safety. There is an abundance of low-cost, substandard products that lack proper certification from a third party testing and certification center. As a manufacturer this can be costly. But ultimately it assures the end-user of the quality of the product, as well as ensures that the manufacturer is committed to providing the safest products on the market.
Special features to accommodate every user. Talk to a safety professional for assistance with the different features available. For safety eyeglasses consider lens tinting options for indoors and outdoors, as well as specialized tinting for specific tasks (i.e.: grinding, cutting, or welding metals). Careful consideration must be given to fit and comfort, and features such as extended and ratcheting temples, wide, narrow, or adjustable nosepieces may require you to try before you buy. Reader options are now available for safety eyeglasses that offer magnification levels for most users. As an employer, you may want to consider a prescription safety eyewear program that is offered by many safety distributors. Women in the workplace also deserve eye protection with a fit that is optimized for their features, and offers a more feminine look, for looking good and feeling well while being protected. For cutting and grinding steel, consider eyewear with foam lining that meets Fire Retardant (FR) standards, and lenses that offer IR 3.0 or 5.0 protection, depending on the use. You do not have to be a welder’s assistance to wear IR protective eyewear, anyone within proximity to the intense light should be protected. For chemical splash and hazardous contaminant safety goggles, proper fit around the face and the appropriate venting and air circulation options are highly important considerations. If you wear prescription glasses, consider a model that is roomy enough to accommodate your glasses, or a model that accommodates a prescription lens insert. Lastly, great advances have been made in lens coatings to offer anti-scratch and anti-fogging solutions. An eyeglass or goggle that has fogged up offers little to no safety and very often becomes a worse hazard to the user, so a lens that offers a truly fog-free solution is the ultimate goal as a manufacturer. Current lens coatings and cleaning products with anti-fog properties should be high in your list of features to consider.
Safety: it’s not just for work. Make eye protection a part of your everyday life. Eye injuries that occur off the job cost individuals and their employers billions of dollars each year in medical care and lost productivity. We have strived as a manufacturer to offer a line of products that offers beyond compliance safety features that offer style and comfort characteristics that will encourage the user to wear our products not just at work, but also at home and at play. Whether you are loading fuel for delivery, or tuning a 5,000 lb. diesel engine, or simply mowing your lawn, or enjoying a ride on your motorcycle or a cruise in your boat, we encourage you to make safety eyewear a part of your everyday life – for yourself, your family, and your livelihood.
About the author: Mr. Joe Martinez is a marketing manager for Encon Safety Products, a manufacturer of market leading first-aid emergency shower and eyewash products, personal protection equipment including safety eyeglasses and goggles, and hazardous-area protective storage cases. You can find out about more about Encon at www.enconsafety.com
