Each year nearly 25,000 Americans visit the ER due to a workplace eye injury. During Workplace Eye Wellness Month this March, the American Academy of Ophthalmology again reminds employers and workers about the importance of wearing certified and approved eye protection.
Depending on your vocational journey, there may or may not have been a focus on protecting your eyes while on the job. This is not typically covered in most curriculums when it comes to higher education.
However, eye safety is a focus when being apprenticed by a responsible mentor. Supervisors, however, are often quick to overlook something as simple as wearing appropriate protection while working in environments that may be hazardous to the eyes.
Whatever your experience in being taught—or held accountable—to maintaining eye safety on the job, it is up to all of us to keep an “eye” on this serious issue.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides general requirements that should be followed by every employer in every workspace. Simply put, these requirements state that “the employer shall ensure that each affected employee uses appropriate eye or face protection when exposed to eye or face hazards,” and go on to list several potential hazards.
While it may seem obvious for some segments of the workforce, there are others for which these requirements are not top of mind. For example, laboratory work and workspaces subject to harmful vapors also need to enforce eye protection.
For employers, this means not only notifying workers through training, manuals, and adequate signage, but also providing eye protection as part of a required uniform when onsite.
Fortunately, the cost of most certified and approved eye protection is minimal. Even the choicest safety glasses and goggles that meet the highest ANSI requirements can be found for less than $10 per pair. Buying in bulk for a full team will cost an employer even less.
The expense is well worth being able to claim a track record of safety and avoiding loss of productivity from workers requiring medical treatment following an exposure.
Why not celebrate Workplace Eye Wellness Month by providing regular eye exams from a licensed optometrist like those at Palmetto Eye & Laser Center? Call Palmetto Eye & Laser Center at 864-583-6381 or get in touch online today!
