See Clearly with Eye Safety

Our eyes are exceedingly delicate and susceptible to injury while on the job. As a result, they require the same level of care and protection as our hands and feet when on the job.

Your eyes are susceptible to injury such as: 

• Irritation
• Abrasions, cuts, and punctures
• Burns
• Eye strain and fatigue
• Dryness

These injuries can be caused by a variety of threats, depending on your environment. These threats may include:

• Chemicals
• Dirt and debris
• Chips and shavings
• Compressed air
• Bright lights 
• Screen glare

Safety specs/glasses, goggles, face shields, and full-face helmets are all examples of eye protection. Each of these can be categorized for use into three categories of impact- low, medium, and high.

Low impact environments have risks for injuries such as irritation, abrasions, and eye strain. These types of environments may contain dust, debris, the opportunity to be hit in the eye, or poor lighting. You should use safety specs, goggles, and shields within this environment.

Medium impact environments have a higher chance of risk for the same injuries as the low impact environments, as well as punctures. These environments include tasks where you may be dealing with electrical, grinding, construction, or metalwork. You should use safety specs with side shields, goggles (eyecup and wide vision), and face shields.

High impact environments include the use of explosive power tools and chemicals. You should use full-face protection and goggles.

Some basic emergency first aid tips for dealing with eye injuries include:

• If you get a cut or puncture, do not rub, wash or flush the eye. Just gently cover it with an eye pad and secure it with tape, before going to the hospital.
• If you get dust or particles in your eye, do not rub your eye, simply flush it with clean water.
• If you get a chemical splash within your eye, continually flush the eye out with clean water for 15 minutes. You may need to hold the eye open with clean fingers to ensure you flush the eye properly. (For workplaces that deal with chemicals, you should have an eyewash station in the event of any emergency.)

Office workplaces, unlike manufacturing and technical vocations, may not always demand or require eye safety equipment such as safety specs or goggles; yet this type of environment poses its own set of hazards for your eyes. For example, you are susceptible to eye strain from the lighting of your office and even the glare from your digital devices.

Here are some best practices you can utilize to reduce the risk to your eyes in the office.

• Make sure your office has adequate lighting. Instead of fluorescent lighting, use natural illumination whenever possible.
• If you are unable to control the type of lighting in your office, you can get a desk lamp with a natural lightbulb and turn off some of the overhead lightings. 
• Cut the glare from your computer/laptop screens by adjusting the brightness. Ideally, if possible, adjust it to the same level as the lighting in your surroundings.
• Keep your computer screen at least 20-26 inches away from your face and below eye level.
• Practice the 20-20-20 rule, where every 20 minutes you look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
• Don't use your computer with your screen facing a window because the light from the outside will cause glare on your screen, and don't use it backing a window since your eyes will have to deal with two types of light – your screen and the light from the window, making your eyes work overtime to constantly adjust between the two. Your workstation should be parallel to the windows for the best results.
• Don’t forget to blink. As funny as it sounds, we tend to blink less when staring at the computer and this can lead to dry eyes which can cause irritation, as blinking helps to moisten your eyes. You can avoid this by blinking 10 times slowly every 20 minutes to moisten your eyes.

Remember to protect your future by protecting your eyes (and other extremities!) 

Safety Supply Co. has a range of safety specs, goggles, face protection, and eyewash stations. Visit www.safetysupplco.com or our Hartsdale House location in Whitepark Road, St. Michael to get the right eye protection equipment for you.