Our Services - Eye Safety

print this page

Eye injuries in the workplace are very common. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports about 200 workers sustain job-related eye injuries that require medical treatment each day.   However, safety experts and eye doctors believe the right eye protection could have lessed the severity or even prevented 90% of these eye injuries.   Common eye injuries from work can result from a number of causes. Chemical burns, foreign objects such as flying wood chips or metal, and cut and scrapes are the most common.   Other causes are splashes with grease and oil, burns from steam and exposure to ultraviolet light. In addition, health care workers, laboratory and janitorial staff are at risk of exposure to infectious diseases.   The Occupational Safety and Health Occupational Administration requires the use of eye and face protection whenever there is a reasonable probability that injury could have been prevented by wearing the proper protection.   Personal protective eyewear, such as goggles, face shields, safety glasses, or full face respirators should be used when in a situation where injury could occur.   Sporting activities are another source of eye injuries. Approximately 600,000 sports-related injuries are reported each year, with more than 42,000 injuries requiring emergency department attention (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission).   Eye safety while playing sports usually requires greater protection than that provided by conventional eye glasses. Sports-protective eyewear has been tested to have greater impact resistance than conventional glasses. Your eye doctor can advise about proper protection.   In addition to sports, another cause of eye injury is fireworks is fireworks. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported 9,200 Emergency Department visits in 2006 as a result of fireworks injuries. Of these 9,200 visits, 205 were from eye injuries and half resulted in permanent blindness (American Academy of Pediatrics).   Eye safety glasses or goggles should be worn by anyone handling fireworks.