Eye injuries can happen at any time and anywhere, but they are often more prevalent in the workplace. Here’s why you should wear eye protection whilst at work. 

When to wear eye protection

No matter which industry you work in, there could always be a risk of eye injury being caused. However, the most common workplaces where staff suffer from eye injuries are places such as factories, laboratories, construction sites, and even offices. 

When on a construction site or in a factory, you should always wear protective eyewear when dealing with machinery and products that might throw up debris and dust particles. 

If you work in a lab or have a job that requires you to work with cleaning chemicals and dangerous substances, you should wear eyewear as this will protect your eyes from any abrasive or corrosive materials that could end up in your eyes. 

Why wear eye protection?

Eye protection can be the difference between protecting your vision and losing it. For example, something that might seem like a minor injury, such as getting dust into your eye, can soon become a much larger problem if this injury becomes infected or scratches the film of the eye. This can lead to permanent sight damage and even full blindness. 

Eye protection ensures that you are keeping your eyes as free from risk as they possibly can be and protects your vision for longer. 

Where to get the correct eye protection

Your employer should ensure that you have the right eye protection and relevant PPE for your job, but if you are self employed or need to invest in replacements then you’ll need to know where to go. 

An example of this would be if you were a self-employed welder in need of some new eye protection. You would want to find a reputable company that can provide you with suitable welding goggles. Avoid cheap sites that haven’t been made with your industry in mind. 

This eyewear should be durable, easy to clean, shouldn’t restrict your vision in any way, and shouldn’t restrict the function of any other required personal protective equipment. 

What to do if eye protection is missing from a station

If you notice that eye protection is missing from a workstation where it should be, alert your management as soon as possible and request they replace them. They should have replacements readily available, but if not then they will need to place an order. If there’s no replacement eye protective equipment, then this machinery shouldn’t be used until it is safe to do so. Regular safety equipment checks should be performed to ensure this doesn’t happen again. 

What eye conditions can people suffer from?

The significance of decent eye health is often underappreciated in the work place. Many conditions or diseases of the eye, for example, cataracts, disorders affecting the retina, dry eyes and uncorrected refractive conditions have a substantial effect on employee productivity and well-being. Luckily, there is a lot that an employer can do to maintain an eye-friendly working environment and promote good eye health among their employees. Wearing protection can be one of these.