Eye Protection
Session Objectives
You will be able to:
• Identify potential eye hazards
• Prevent eye injuries with protective eyewear
• Use, maintain, and inspect proper protective
eyewear
• Use appropriate first aid for emergencies
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Eye Injury Statistics
• Each day, more than 2,000 workers suffer
eye injuries
• Annually, 62,000 eye injuries result in lost
workdays
• Eye protection can reduce the number and
severity of eye injuries in 90% of accidents
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Eye Hazards
• Flying objects
• Harmful dust particles
• Chemical splashing
or spraying
• High-intensity heat
or light
• Welding, brazing, torch
cutting
• Direct or reflected
sunlight
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Flying Object Hazards
and Protection
• Hazard—flying objects
cause lens damage
• Fragments, chips,
particles, sand, dirt
• Work processes
• Chipping, grinding,
masonry work
• Eye protection
• Glasses with side
protection, goggles, or
face shield for severe
exposure
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0606
Dust Hazards and
Protection
• Hazard—walking into
floating particles
causes irritation,
redness, and abrasion
• Wood dust, foam dust,
soot
• Work process
• Woodworking, buffing,
cleaning
• Eye protection
• Goggles for tight seal
around the eyes
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Chemical Hazards and
Protection
• Hazard—splash, spray,
or mist causes burning,
pain, or blurriness
• Acids, caustics, solvents
• Work process
• Handling or processing
a chemical
• Eye protection
• Goggles
• Face shield over goggles
for severe exposure
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Heat Hazards
and Protection
• Hazard
• Steam, hot liquid, hot air, or flame cause pain,
eyelid burns, and blurred vision
• Work process
• Furnace operations, pouring or casting molten
metals
• Any high-temperature operations
• Wear eye protection such as a screen or
reflective face shield
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0606
Welding Hazards and
Protection
• Hazard—Welder’s
flash or flying sparks
cause pain, extreme
sensitivity, and burns
• Work process
• Walking unprotected near
welding operation
• Eye protection
• Welder’s face shield
• Sunglasses inadequate
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0606
Sunlight Hazards and
Protection
• Hazard—direct or reflected sunlight
• Retinal burn, blurred vision, pain
• Work process
• Working outside on any job, working near water
• Eye protection
• Sunglasses and hat
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Eye Hazards and
Protection—Questions?
• Any questions about
potential workplace
hazards to the eyes?
• Questions about eye
protection for specific
work processes?
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Use Proper Protective
Eyewear
• 90% of occupational eye injuries could have
been avoided with proper protective
eyewear
• Many injured workers believed protective
eyewear was not necessary in their
particular situation
• Follow company rules for eye protection
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Eyewear Standards
• Comply with ANSI
Z87.1
• Eye protection
equipment will be
marked “Z87”
• Sunglasses or
prescription
glasses usually do not
meet the standard
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Choosing Eye Protection
• Fit the protection equipment to the person
• Ensure high-quality equipment is used
• Ensure good fit and comfort
• Lens options
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Maintain Eyewear
• Cleaning stations
• Holders or cases
• Issue new when necessary
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Routinely Inspect Eyewear
• Inspect before each use
• Check for and replace cracked lenses
• Replace scratched lens
• Check for loose frames and nose pieces
• Fit test before each use
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Prescription Eyewear
• Contact lenses may
be worn with PPE if
determined safe by a
hazard evaluation
• Prescription safety
glasses are available
• Overglasses or partial
face shields serve as
additional barriers
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Eyewash Stations
• Chemical splashes require immediate
first aid
• 10 feet or 10 seconds from a work process
with hazardous chemicals
• Flush eyes for 15 minutes
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Use of Eyewear—
Any Questions?
• Any questions about
the selection and use
of eyewear?
• Any questions about
maintenance and
inspection of eyewear?
• Any questions about
eye first aid?
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Key Things to Remember
• Assess eye hazards
• Select appropriate
protective eyewear
• Wear your eye
protection
• Don’t become an eye
injury statistic
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0606