We understand that being in a challenging work environment, you’re often faced with hazardous and dangerous elements that can lead to serious eye injuries. Some of these elements can be from debris, dangerous flying particles, extreme temperature, or harmful chemicals. That’s why it’s important to protect your eyes with the proper safety eyewear so your eyes are protected at all times while on the job.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 10,000+ injuries occur daily in North America, with 20%-25% requiring medical treatment.
Whether you’re working in a laboratory, construction site, hi-tech & semiconductor plants, manufacturing facilities, or other industrial settings, it makes sense to wear protective safety eyewear that’s designed specifically for these environments.
You can review the OSHA Eye And Face Protection Compliance & Regulations’ Standard numbers here.
Overcoming Environmental Challenges For Eye Safety
Safety glasses are typically used in different industrial settings to protect the eyes from various harmful elements.
Working in a hazardous environment can be a dangerous proposition, not just because of the potential for injury but also because of the potential for eye injuries. Because of this, it’s important to take steps to ensure safety both on and off the job. In this blog post, we’ll discuss some of the benefits of wearing safety eyewear, discuss how to prevent eye injuries while working in hazardous environments, and provide tips on how to keep your eyewear in top condition.
Industry Examples:
- Laboratory: Laboratories are a hotbed of corrosive and dangerous substances. Safety eyewear to protect your eyes from harmful chemicals, liquids and gases
- Semiconductor: Impact resistant protect is critical as is chemical resistant, toxic gas protection
- General Manufacturing: There are numerous hazards in any manufacturing facility. Examples are; dirt, dust, circulating micro-particles, chemicals, acids, metal shavings, burning debris, foams and other dangers to the eye and vision.
- Construction sites: When working in construction, it is important to wear safety eyewear that protect your eyes from debris, dust, UV rays (outdoor work) and harmful particles that are airborne
- Welding & Machine Shop: Light and air is the source of harmful rays, dangerous flying small & sharp particles that can cause serious eye injuries
Use The Right Eyewear For Maximum Protection. What are the different kinds of safety eyewear?
Chemical Resistant Goggles & Safety Glasses: Designed to protect workers from harmful chemicals and substances. It is advisable for individuals to wear chemical resistant goggles to seal off eye area or chemical resistant safety glasses to protect their eyes from harmful chemical fumes, splashes or sprays.
Safety Goggles: Goggles are designed to protect the eyes from exposure to liquids, chemicals, and other harmful substances.
ANSI Prescription Safety Glasses: Should comply with ANSI standards. These lenses are shatter-resistant and tough enough to protect your eyes from injury.
Safety Eyewear For Outdoor Activities: Wind, snow, fishing, cold
Anti Fog And Anti Glare: Some safety glasses offer protection against glare and UV rays. They’re typically used by people who work in bright sunlight or near windows where light enters unprotected. Glare and fog is a common issue for people that work on the water or in snow. Intense glare, intense dryness and fog are a source of snow or sea blindness, called Photokeratitis making eyewear critical.
Welding Helmets, Ratchet Head Gears, & Safety Helmets are indispensable asset for workers and businesses. The electromagnetic energy given off by welding flames can put workers at risk for eye injuries. Wearing the proper head and face protection offers excellent visibility and provides a protective shield around the face and head. It’s also been proven to succeed at helping the companies to increase workers’ safety, while decreasing liabilities.
Being able to see clearly at all times helps workers to make quick and effective decisions at moments notice. It helps to protect the people around you as well. But there also is a long-term reason to wear the right eye protection at all times. We all want our vision to last a lifetime. How you care for your eyes now, will reward you later or leave you with regrets. Nothing is more frightening that the thought of impaired vision, or worse losing it all together.
It is important to wear the right kind of safety glasses for the job at hand. This way, you are not only protecting your eyes from harmful rays but also ensuring a clear view of what’s happening around you. In addition to eyewear, note the section on emergency eye wash stations below.
Protective Safety Eyewear Solutions
When working in a hazardous environment, always wear safety glasses that comply with ANSI standards. Choose safety eyewear that has lenses with the maximum protection, properly tinted for work conditions, and are shatter-resistant and tough enough to protect your eyes from painful puncture injuries. Some safety eyewear offer multiple protective features according to the needs of your work requirements. The most important criteria is to choose safety eyewear that crosses over to your workplace needs. In some cases, modest protection can consider style but in other cases, function is the priority and style should be the last consideration!
Caring For Your Safety Eyewear
Do you always wear your safety eyewear at work? Caring for your safety glasses is essential to maintain their anti-fog and scratch-resistant properties. We offer a wide range of lens cleaning products and solutions that will give you the ability to safely and effectively clean your safety eyewear. With our simple and effective cleaning solution and wipes you can be sure that your lenses will also stay protected against smudges, fingerprints, dust, debris, and other contaminants.
Most glasses need to be replaced due to scratching from improper cleaning solutions or clothes. For example, using bathroom tissue or Kleenex may seem soft but the fibers can scratch your lens. To provide lasting care for our products we suggest these practices and products:
- Choose a lens cleaner that is suitable for the type of lenses you own (plastic or glass)
- Avoid cleaning solutions with harsh chemicals as they can damage lenses over time.
- Antibacterial wipes are an effective and convenient way to clean glasses safely, to help protect your eyes and increase your vision
- Keep an anti-fog lens cleaner spray on hand to clean your lenses quickly and easily in emergencies
- For regular cleaning, use our safety dry anti-fog cloth and our safety orange cleaning cloth or speciality wipes
- Lens cleaning wipes and solutions
Remember, safety first – use our best or prescription safety Eyewear while you work in a hazardous environment to ensure the best possible protection for your eyes.
Vision Health
Your eyes are one of the most vital parts of your body for quality of life! Without them, many aspects of your daily life would be extremely difficult. That’s why it’s essential to take care of your eyes and protect them from any potential damage that could occur. Eye protection is a daily practice made more and more critical by your occupation and activities. We will go into more depth in another blog devoted to eye safety but here are some tips to implement in your day to day life:
- Wear sunglasses that block UVA and UVB light. Wearing sunglasses is one of the best ways to protect your eyes from the damaging effects of ultraviolet (UV) rays. Look for sunglasses that are designed to block out 100% of UVA and UVB light, as these rays can cause eye problems like cataracts and macular degeneration.
- Wear safety glasses for even the simplest tasks. Wearing safety glasses is one of the easiest ways to stay safe while performing everyday tasks. Not only will they help protect your eyes from potential hazards, but they also come in a variety of styles and colors that you can choose from.
- Limit your exposure to digital screens. Take regular breaks and look away from the computer screen for a few minutes at a time. This will help to prevent eye strain, fatigue, and headaches
- Visit your optometrist for yearly checkups. Discovering eye issues early on can make all the difference in eye health
- Eat a thoughtful, balanced diet. Providing your eyes with essential nutrients like Vitamin A and lutein can help reduce inflammation in the eye over time
In the workplace, make sure your management or owners provide eye wash stations. These eye wash stations are required by OSHA in most businesses.
Make Safety A Success!
This topic is one of the most critical workplace and home life topics. Order from our Safety Company website a single product or by the dozens with discounts! For more information on choosing the right safety eyewear or for bulk orders, call 800-310-SAFE (7233) M-F 8am to 5pm PST (except for US holidays). Give us a call for the New Year! We’ll be there on January 3rd.
Also, you can enjoy our other blogs on a variety of topics that include workplace safety and work life balance! Join us on Facebook too!
