Eye Protection An Overview of What Employers Should Know

This module will cover… The scope of the eye injury problem What contributes to eye injuries at work? What causes eye injuries at work? Where do injuries happen most often? How can eye injuries be prevented? How employers can comply with WISHA rules

The scope of the problem In 2002, there were 42,286 occupational injuries or illnesses involving the eye that resulted in days away from work in the U.S. Number of nonfatal occupational facial injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by part of the face, 2002 Body Part Number of cases Percent of cases Face 60,064 100.0 Eyes 42,286 70.4 Face, unspecified 4,445 7.4 Forehead 3,887 6.5 Nose, nasal cavity 3,031 5.0 Multiple face locations 2,430 4.0 Mouth 2,072 3.4 Jaw or chin 906 1.5 Cheek(s) 736 1.2 Face, other 272 0.5 NOTE: Due to rounding, components do not add to exactly 100 percent. A link to eye injury statistics is in the links page at the end of this slide show

What contributes to eye injuries at work? Take a moment to think about possible eye hazards at your workplace. A survey by the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of about 1,000 minor eye injuries revealed how and why many on-the-job accidents occur. Employee were either: Not wearing eye protection. BLS reports that nearly three out of every five workers injured were not wearing eye protection at the time of the accident. OR Wearing the wrong kind of eye protection for the job. About 40% of the injured workers were wearing some form of inadequate eye protection when the accident occurred and were injured. A fictional account of a typical eye injury called “How Accidents Happen” can be linked to in the Links page at the end of this presentation

What causes eye injuries at work? Flying particles BLS found that almost 70% of the accidents studies resulted from flying or falling objects or sparks striking the eye. Injured workers estimated that nearly three-fifths of the objects were smaller than a pin head. Most of the particles were said to be traveling faster than a hand-thrown object when the accident occurred. Contact with chemicals Splashed liquids or flying chemical particles caused 20% of the injuries. Other accidents Caused by objects swinging from a fixed or attached position, like tree limbs, ropes, chains, or tools which were pulled into the eye while the worker was using them.

Where do injuries happen most often? Potential eye hazards can be found in nearly every industry, but BLS reported that more than 40% of injuries occurred among craft workers, like mechanics, repairers, carpenters, and plumbers. Over a third of the injured workers were equipment operators, such as assemblers, sanders, and grinding machine operators. Laborers suffered about one-fifth of the eye injuries. Almost half the injured workers were employed in manufacturing. Slightly more than 20% were in construction.

How can eye injuries be prevented? Always wear effective eye protection. To be effective, eye wear must appropriate for the hazard encountered and properly fitted. Better training and education. BLS reported that most workers were hurt while doing their regular jobs. Workers injured while not wearing protective eye wear most often said they believed it was not required by the situation. Even though the vast majority of employers furnished eye protection at no cost to employees, about 40% of the workers received no information on where and what kind of eyewear should be used. Maintenance. Eye protection devices must be properly maintained. Scratched and dirty devices reduce vision, cause glare and may contribute to accidents.

Eye and Face Protection Selection Chart Source Assessment of Hazard Protection IMPACT - chipping, grinding, machining, drilling, chiseling, riveting, sanding Flying fragments, objects, large chips, particles, sand, dirt, etc. Spectacles with side protection, goggles, face shields…for severe exposure, use face shields over primary eye protection HEAT - furnace operations, pouring, casting, hot dipping, and welding Hot sparks, splash from molten metals, high temperature exposure Goggles or safety spectacles with special-purpose lenses and side shields. Many heat hazard exposures require the use of a face shield in addition to safety spectacles or goggles. CHEMICALS – acid and chemicals handling degreasing, plating, and working with blood. Splash, irritating mists Goggles - primary protectors intended to shield the eyes against liquid or chemical splash, irritating mists, vapors, and fumes. Face Shields - secondary protectors intended to protect the entire face against exposure to chemical hazards. DUST Woodworking, buffing, and general dusty conditions Harmful Dust Goggles-primary protectors intended to protect the eyes against a variety of airborne particles and dust OPTICAL RADIATION welding, torch-cutting, brazing, soldering, and laser work Radiant energy, glare, and intense light When selecting filter lenses, begin with a shade too dark to see the welding zone. Then try lighter shades until one allows a sufficient view of the welding zone without going below the minimum protective shade.

Description and use of Eye/Face Protectors Glasses Protective eyeglasses are made with safety frames tempered glass or plastic lenses temples and side shields They provide eye protection from moderate impact and particles encountered in job tasks such as: carpentry woodworking grinding, scaling, etc. Safety glasses are also available in prescription form for those persons who need corrective lenses.

Description and use of Eye/Face Protectors Goggles Vinyl framed goggles of soft pliable body design provide adequate eye protection from many hazards. These goggles are available with clear or tinted lenses perforated, port vented, or non-vented frames. Single lens goggles provide similar protection to spectacles and may be worn in combination with spectacles or corrective lenses to insure protection along with proper vision. Welders goggles provide protection from sparking, scaling, or splashing metals and harmful light rays. Lenses are impact resistant and are available in graduated shades of filtration. Chippers/Grinders goggles provide eye protection from flying particles. The dual protective eye cups house impact resistant clear lenses with individual cover.

Description and use of Eye/Face Protectors Face Shields These normally consist of an adjustable headgear and face shield of tinted or transparent acetate or polycarbonate materials, or wire screen. Face shields are available in various sizes, tensile strength, impact/heat resistance and light ray filtering capacity. Face shields will be used in operations when the entire face needs protection and should be worn to protect eyes and face against flying particles, metal sparks, and chemical/biological splash.

Description and use of Eye/Face Protectors Welding Shields These shield assemblies consist of vulcanized fiber or glass fiber body, a ratchet/button type adjustable headgear or cap attachment and a filter and cover plate holder. These shields will be provided to protect workers’ eyes and face from infrared or radiant light burns, flying sparks, metal spatter and slag chips encountered during welding, brazing, soldering, resistance welding, bare or shielded electric arc welding and oxyacetylene welding and cutting operations.

WISHA rules on eye protection WAC 296-800-16040 You must require your employees to use necessary PPE on the job WAC 296-800-16045 PPE must be kept in safe and good condition WAC 296-800-16050 You must make sure your employees use appropriate eye and face protection Links to WISHA’s guide for complying with PPE rules are in the links page at the end of this slide show

WAC 296-800-16040 Require your employees to use necessary PPE on the job You must require your employees to use necessary PPE on the job.

WAC 296-800-16045 Keep PPE in safe and good condition Make sure all PPE is safe for the work to be performed. It must: - Be durable. - Fit snugly. - Not interfere with the employee’s movements. Make sure PPE is used and maintained in a clean and reliable condition. Defective equipment MUST NOT be used Make sure if employees provide their own PPE, that it is adequate for the workplace hazards, and maintained in a clean and reliable condition.

WAC 296-800-16050 Make sure your employees use appropriate eye and face protection Make sure that employees exposed to hazards that could injure their eyes and/or face use appropriate protection. Examples of these hazards include: - Flying particles. - Molten metal. - Liquid chemicals. - Acids or caustic liquids. - Chemical gases or vapors. - Any light that could injure the eyes such as lasers, ultraviolet, or infrared light. Objects that puncture. Make sure employees exposed to hazards from flying objects have eye protection with side protection, such as safety glasses with clip-on or slide-on side shields.

WAC 296-800-16050 (continued) Make sure your employees use appropriate eye and face protection Make sure eye protection for employees who wear prescription lenses: - Incorporates the prescription into the design of the eye protection; or Is large enough to be worn over the prescription lenses without disturbing them. Make sure PPE used to protect the eyes and face meet the following specific ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standards.  Most commercially available PPE is marked with the specific ANSI requirements. - PPE bought before February 20, 1995, must meet ANSI standard Z87.1-1968. - PPE bought on or after February 20, 1995, must meet ANSI standard Z87.1-1989. - If you use eye or face protection that does not meet these ANSI standards, you must show they are equally effective.

“How Accidents Happen” Links WISHA Core Rules PPE Eye injury statistics “How Accidents Happen” A Guide to complying with WISHA’s PPE Rules

Thanks for being committed to safety !