Depending on your line of work, you may need to protect your eyes from potential injury.
While it’s easy to believe that you will never suffer a serious injury to your eyes, you don’t want to take this risk. There are many simple things you can do to protect your eyes from injury on the job, including:
- Becoming familiar with the many eye safety dangers at your place of employment
- Doing your best to eliminate any eye hazards before starting your tasks
- Always wearing eye protection, e.g., goggles
- Making sure your eye protection is in good working condition
Remember that if you neglect to do even one of these things, it puts you at risk for eye injuries.
There are many types of eye protection on the market, all of which can help protect your eyes while still allowing you to do your job. For example, there are prescription safety goggles for those who need them.
There are also helmets and face shields. These are often worn by people who have on the job exposures to extreme heat or dangerous chemicals.
If you don’t know what type of eye protection you should be wearing, discuss this with your employer. Your foreman or supervisor can provide you with more direction.
If you suffer a workplace eye injury, despite having used protective gear, you should report the accident to your employer and seek immediate medical attention.
Depending on the circumstances surrounding your injury, you may be able to receive workers’ compensation benefits until you are able to return to work. This money can help you financially as you recover from your eye injury.
Source: American Optometric Association, “Protecting Your Eyes at Work,” accessed Aug. 31, 2017