The Importance of Protecting Your Eyes in the Industrial Workplace

For many of us, our sight is the key to our livelihood. We rely on our eyes to get us to and from work, to perform our job duties, and to learn. Our eyes help us acquire new information and even help us determine what other people are thinking. Isn’t that an organ worth protecting?

Unfortunately, some workers shirk their eye protection with disastrous consequences. Nearly 60% of injured workers were lacking proper eye protection at the time of their accidents. Eye injuries are one of the leading causes of lost productivity in the workplace – in fact, they cost the US economy $300 million per year in medical bills, workers’ compensation benefits, and lost work. Sadly, many of these eye injuries are preventable. Proper eye protection is essential for worker health and avoiding potentially devastating injuries.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health collects data regarding work-related injuries in the United States. It’s been found that the clear majority of eye injuries result from small objects or particles, such as dust, wood chips, and metal silvers abrading the eye. A separate study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics confirms this, with 70% of workplace eye injuries resulting from small sparks, embers, and particles. In fact, 60% of injured workers reported that their eye injuries resulted from a particle smaller than a pinhead.

Injuries also occur involving larger objects; there have been numerous reports of eye trauma from accidents with staples, nails, or other pieces of metal creating trauma that can result in permanent loss of vision. Chemical burns, exposure to UV radiation, and blunt force trauma are other causes of eye injuries in occupational workers.

While anyone can sustain an eye injury at work, some occupations are naturally more hazardous than others. According to the BLS, craft workers are most likely to suffer eye injuries in the workplace. These include workers in professions like welding, plumbing, electrical work, and pipefitting. While many eye injuries are easily preventable with personal protective equipment (PPE), compliance is often an issue. When PPE is cumbersome or uncomfortable, workers are less likely to wear it. For this reason, NIOSH recommends that each employer evaluate the following before establishing and ordering PPE for workers:

Ideally, a worker’s eye protection will be seamlessly integrated with the rest of their protective gear and should be adjustable to fit the different needs and head shape of each employee. According to a BLS survey, a whopping 94% of eye injuries to workers who were wearing eye protection resulted from a dangerous projectile or substance going around or under their eye protection. This highlights the need for employers to assess their current eye protection standards and ensure that they fit every worker’s needs.

And last, eye protection should be comfortable. According research from the BLS, comfort is a key factor in compliance with wearing eye protection. Eye gear should be easy enough for workers to wear all day, as it cannot provide protection if it sits on a shelf on top of a worker’s head due to discomfort. Features like cushions, gel nosepieces, and venting help improve the compliance rate in the worker population.

Protective eyewear, when properly fitted, is an essential aspect of worker safety. If employers took steps to make eyewear comfortable and adjustable, we could save millions of dollars and prevent thousands of workplace injuries each year.

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