The people who choose to work in the Omaha construction industry know about many of its hazards. They also know how to protect themselves from construction accidents in most cases. This usually involves compliance with the industry’s safety standards such as wearing personal protective equipment. Despite this attention to safety, many workers fail to protect their eyes properly, often leading to serious consequences such as vision loss.
The Center for Construction Research and Training seeks to help workers enhance their safety and avoid construction accidents. As such, the Center advises all construction workers to comply with the following easy steps to ensure eye safety while working.
- Wear eye protection at all times to protect your eyes from injury
- Make certain you use the correct type of eye protection such as goggles or glasses with side shields or full-face shields
- At the first sign of irritation, rinse your eyes with clean water
Eye injuries occur in several different ways. For example, workers tasked with sawing or grinding may suffer injury from flying debris. In another example, welders can suffer serious eye injuries from sparks and from the extremely bright light emanating from welding equipment.
Just as it does in other types of construction accidents, workers’ compensation covers incidents that lead to eye injuries. This includes replacing some of the wages you lose if you must take time off from work. It will also pay for the medical expenses associated with your eye injury.
If your employer tries to block your attempts to acquire compensation, please consider taking your story to an attorney. A lawyer can also assist those who have received a denial notice after filing a workers’ compensation claim.