Why discuss best eye protection? Medical checks are done with applicants before employment, and usually check eyesight. Yes, employers become interested in your eyesight before they meet you. We know that people with imperfect vision need to wear glasses while working. At work those people wearing specs every day are likely to present a lower risk of workplace eye injury. They are less exposed to flying objects than people with perfect eyesight. People with perfect eyesight don't need to wear glasses to see, right? Is protective eye wear actually underrated? It might seem so if the regular eye protection wearers aren't rated for lower risk?
What happens with best eye protection at work is different at home. At home in the workshop what we do is all enjoyment. We despise injuries in work places. But when you are making things at home few think of injury from their latest creation. If you wear reading glasses that is your best eye protection. It is under construction and you care about safety. But does the idea of wearing protection enter your mind? Are eye injury risks over rated?
If you wear glasses every day, as I do, the specs need to fit your face and be comfortable. No one perseveres with best eye protection if wearing uncomfortable gear.
Eye wear must be comfortable in the heavy contact areas like your nose bridge and at the temple. Where the tips of the glasses grip into your head they can make ears a bit rubbed and sore. When you are assessing best eye protection look first at eyewear comfort. Next consider performance followed by the aesthetic features of the glasses or goggles.
Do you know anyone who wears eye wear simply on form and function? Usually for prescription eye wear the frames’ design or style are important. It's the comfort and feel of the frames (considering lightness on face and ears) first. The value for cost is a consideration of the person buying them.
Suppliers of safety eye wear consider the same factors for protective work glasses. Suppliers have an interest in best eye protection. Usually you need to wear safety glasses for extended periods. Safety glasses need to have a good and comfortable fit. They must be durable for the working environment. That includes driving and being out of the vehicle, wearing them from office to workshops. I prefer frames that have a soft touch on the face; that you can put on and take off without scratching. Some glasses incorporate coloured reflective coatings on the lenses. That means the time wearing them outdoors passes without discomfort. That means you won’t need to remind workers to put them on as they leave the office.
Some eye wear doesn’t protect enough!
Not wearing eye protection doesn’t cause someone to have an eye injury. If you are working in dust, or where small grit particles are flying near to your face, you risk injury. You will have an injury if such particles get into your eyes. The best eye protection in dust is goggles when airborne grits are likely to be present. There are many woodworking tools used daily and every one of them need protective eyewear. Always consider this as woodworking safety 101.
It is possible that you are wearing the wrong type of eye protection. Only goggles will prevent entry of a dust particulate. There is a greater possibility of eye injury if you were not wearing any eye protection at the time of a dust storm. Wearing the best safety eye wear is a good strategy for protecting eyesight. The best eye protection is preventative. An impact injury risk might be small but glasses will preventing an impact being serious.
No one injures their eyes intentionally.
There are reports where injured workers were wearing eye protection when something occurred. But the protective glasses worn at the time were inappropriate for the hazard.
Wear safety glasses of the correct size for the hazard (too big or small to fit the wearer). Sometimes the wrong lens material (too dark for job) or the design (no side shields) causes problems. If protective eyewear is incorrect for the location (anti-fog goggles vs polarised glasses). Prescription glasses without over goggles may remove or protect enough against the hazard.
Accidents result from flying sparks smaller than a pinhead striking the eye. A proportion of the other injuries result from splash contact with chemicals. Again goggles are the best eye protection for splashes. Those accidents occur more often among craft workers. These include such as mechanics, repairers, carpenters and plumbers.
Of workers who injured their eyes about a third were operating industrial equipment. Equipment such as saws, drills, sanders and grinding machines. And of those about half were working in manufacturing.
Many workplaces can be very noisy so consider wearing hearing protection. It's prudent to wear earplugs and/or ear muff when sound levels raise above 80db.
Injured workers who weren't wearing eye protection often say it wasn't needed for the work. Even when the employer provided the eye protection at no cost to them. Had the worker had been wearing protective eyewear they could prevent the eye injury. If peer pressure exists at work is it failing for wearing protective eye wear?
Keep protective eye wear looking good!
Scratched or dirty lenses will contribute to reduced vision. You see only glare in direct sunlight. You can decrease risks from hazards arising with poorly maintained eye wear. You need to discard them when they are dirty or damaged.
Protective eye wear and goggles made with polycarbonate lenses can withstand impact. They also provide UV protection by absorbing 99.9% of ultraviolet radiation. Some lens tints help to reduce glare that can lower eye strain and fatigue. An anti-scratch coating provides abrasion resistance. Some lens coatings help to prevent fogging.
Workers wear fashionable and stylish personal protective eye wear more often. Design improves the level of wearer acceptance of the equipment. Clear eye protection doesn't restrict vision. It needs to be a comfortable fit for the worker to wear safety-spectacles. Often they do so with other protective equipment. For example, a soft nose bridge and thin frames (or soft strap materials) at the temples, which fit to the side of the head. That way the protective eye wear points of contact around the ear are better. When wearing earmuffs the glasses remain comfortable. They should not reduce the ability of cushions to seal.
Good eye-protection is not risk-rated
The protective eye wear needs to work for everyone. That includes anyone who usually needs to wear reading glasses. Imagine how it would be if you needed to engage in small or detailed work. while It would be unsafe wearing standard safety glasses. Even if there was the alternative of wearing goggles over your reading glasses? Maintain safe eye wear even while trying to read small print. You could wear goggles over reading glasses but there are other options available.
Protective eye wear is available with bifocal magnification. They come in a range of strengths to accommodate workers that have bifocals. That condition is “presbyopia”. It's a vision condition involving the loss of the eye’s ability to focus on close objects.
Polarised poly-carbonate lenses block reflective light. That means workers who are outside for extended time or driving get added comfort of less glare. The lens absorbs 99.9% of sunlight's UV radiation. Protective eye wear, with lanyard and earplugs attached save dropped or lost eye wear. Wear the earplug lanyard around the neck to carry eye wear when neither product is in use.
Safety glasses have chromatic lenses (transitional) that adjust with changing outdoor light conditions. That saves the need of carrying more than one pair of glasses. It's useful for workers who move from inside to outside and back infrequently. A pair will change from light to dark in less than 20 seconds and dark to light in under 3 minutes. The workers need to allow time for the light condition to affect the lens. Otherwise, they might venture into a hazard situation before the transition is complete.
