Eye Care Enhancements: The Art & Importance Of Protecting Employees’ Vision

When it comes to protecting your employees, never forget their eyes. Workers in a wide range of industries face threats to their vision every day. Some of these dangers develop slowly; others occur all of a sudden; but all are serious. You need to protect your workers against these threats as comprehensively as possible, and that starts by investing in protective gear. By purchasing equipment to guard your workers’ eyes, you can prevent vision issues from arising, allowing everyone to see clearly for the long haul.

Protective Equipment for Employees’ Eyes

As with any type of protective uniform, it’s important to tailor your eye gear to the specific threats that employees face on the job. These threats include:

• Caustic Liquids– If your employees work with strong acids, bases, or other liquids that cause serious injury on contact, defending their eyes must be your first order of business. Invest in goggles that block employees’ eyes entirely from splashes. Then make sure that the material those goggles are made of can resist the specific chemical or chemicals that your workers will be handling.
• Hazardous Fumes– In addition to the liquids themselves, fumes from caustic chemicals can burn or otherwise damage employees’ eyes. If you’re working with this type of material, you need to invest in goggles that prevent outside fumes from getting inside. Typically, these goggles should be attached to respirators, as fumes that can damage your eyes aren’t safe to breathe.
• Small & Sharp Objects– Any employee who has to work with sharp objects or perform tasks that launch debris in the air must have goggles that can resist physical impacts. In the United States, such goggles are typically given a safety rating by the American National Standards Institute. Look for a label that says “ANSI” and then a string of letters and numbers; those digits will tell you what kinds of threats the goggles address.
• Sun Damage– In addition to sudden, catastrophic threats to employees’ eyes, you need to watch out for more gradual hazards. In particular, workers who have to drive lengthy routes, work outside, or otherwise expose themselves to the sun for long periods of time need gear that will protect their eyes against solar rays. Look for sunglasses that offer UVA and UVB protection and that aren’t so dark as to obscure employees’ vision.

When selecting protective eyewear for your workers, it’s important to make sure that the items you choose fit well and are comfortable. This makes employees more likely to wear them whenever necessary, and it ensures that they won’t fall off while your workers are on the job. It’s also important to accommodate workers who wear glasses. Invest in protective eyewear that mimics the effects of glasses, so that workers who wear them don’t have to choose between protecting their eyes and seeing what’s in front of them.