eye protection for your workforce

May 15, 2023

Maintaining and protecting the healthy vision of your employees should be one of your foremost concerns. Eye injuries are one of the biggest causes of missed workdays. More than 20,000 on-the-job eye injuries happen annually.¹ These injuries can be costly for businesses. Workplace eye injuries rack up $300 million dollars a year in medical costs, workers’ compensation and lost hours.²

While you can never plan for an accident, you can plan to create a more eye-safe environment for your employees. Here are some of the ways that you can help your team avoid accidents that may affect their vision.

The Basics of Eye Health

Before we get into how to ensure eye protection in the workplace, it’s essential that your employees have the healthiest vision possible. That starts with regular, comprehensive eye exams. According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), how often a person should have an eye exam differs by age:³

However, people with certain risk factors should also have yearly eye exams. These risk factors include:

• Personal or family history of eye disease
• Having a health issue that may affect the eyes, such as diabetes, or thyroid eye disease
• Previous eye surgery or injury
• Contact lens wearers
• Those taking medications that may affect the eyes, certain eye drops, or oral medications with long term effects on the health of your vision. 

The AOA also recommends annual eye exams for anyone working a job with a high risk of eye injuries. For example, people who work in health care, janitorial or labs are the most at risk when it comes to exposure to infectious diseases.³ People who work outside, use heavy equipment, grind metals or work with chemicals are at high risk of eye injury. Even people who work indoors at a computer all day may also be risking the health of their eyes.⁴

The Importance of Eye Protection

Regular eye exams are just one part of keeping our eyes healthy. Protecting the eyes, especially in the workplace, is vital. Around 2,000 American workers suffer from eye injuries at the work place every day.⁵ But eye doctors and safety professionals say that using the right eye protection can significantly reduce that number by as much as 90%.⁶

Common workplace eye injuries include:^3,4

• Scratched cornea 
• Chemicals in the eyes
• Blunt-force trauma to the eyes
• Foreign objects in the eyes
• Steam burns
• UV and infrared radiation exposure
• Chemical exposure
• Transmission of infectious diseases 

Workplace Eye Safety and Eye Protection

So why do eye injuries happen? The AOA says there are two main reasons: not wearing eye protection and/or using the wrong type of eye protection for the job.²

The first line of defense is personal protective equipment (PPE) for the eyes and/or face. PPE such as goggles, safety glasses, face shields and respirators that cover the entire face must be properly sized and properly worn. They can be sized individually or be adjustable. The fit should be comfortable and shouldn’t block or get in the way of peripheral vision.²

When it comes to PPE for the eyes, the right choice depends on the job itself. Here’s a quick guide to what to use and when:⁷

• Safety glasses with side protection: Jobs that cause or involve particles, dust and/or objects that may fly at the eyes.
• Goggles: Jobs that involve working with chemicals.
• Face shields or helmets: Jobs that involve hazardous radiation, such as welding, working with fiber optics or lasers. Special-purpose safety glasses or goggles may also be used for these kinds of jobs.

Outside employees also run the risk of sun and UV damage to their eyes. Remind those who work outside to wear sunglasses when they don’t need to use their PPE. Sunglasses should have 100% UV protection (sometimes labeled as UV absorption up to 400nm). Polarized lenses can also be helpful since they reduce glare. Large or wraparound lenses are better than smaller ones. Plastic or polycarbonate lenses are less likely to break or shatter than glass ones. Remember that the color or darkness of the lenses doesn’t really matter – it’s all about the UV protection, not the shading.⁸

If you haven’t conducted a safety inspection in some time, consider this month the ideal time to do so and ensure that your eye safety precautions and plans follow OSHA standards. Conducting hazard assessments regularly help you identify potential and existing hazards in the workplace. Once identified, you will be able to determine what to do and create contingency plans in case of an accident or emergency. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers free and confidential assistance to help.⁹

Eye Wash Stations

In addition to eye protection that is worn, OSHA requires an eye wash station at any facility where workers “may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials” or potentially dangerous biological materials. The station should be properly maintained to prevent the gathering of infectious microorganisms.^10,11

These eye wash stations are also known as flushing stations and may also include emergency showers, eye-and-face wash stations and combined shower/eye/face wash stations. These may be supplemented by drench hoses and personal wash units, such as wash bottles.However, those supplements can’t be used as a substitute for a flushing station.

How many flushing stations should you have? While OSHA doesn’t specifically mention a figure, their standard states that flushing stations must be located where an injured employee can reach them within ten seconds of exposure. Therefore, the number of stations you will need is based on how large your facility or worksite is. You’ll also need to provide additional flushing stations if more than one employee is working, as more than one person runs the risk of exposure.¹²

Eye Safety for Office Workers

Employees who work on computers all day should also be mindful of their eye health. The average US employee spends 7 hours per day working on computers, whether they work in the office or at home. All that time looking at screens can be harmful to their eyes due to digital eye strain, also known as computer vision syndrome.³

Encourage screen time breaks with the 20-20-20 rule. It’s very simple – for every 20 minutes spent looking at a computer screen, smart phone, tablet or similar electronic device, take a 20 second break every 20 minutes. During that break, look at something around 20 feet away.³

Other ways to help office workers protect their eyes and prevent eye strain include:^13,14

• Make sure the computer screen or monitor is around 4-5 inches below eye level when measured from the center of the screen. The screen should also be 20-28 inches away from the eyes.
• Avoid glare by placing computer screens away from light sources that create glare and using anti-glare screens on monitors.
• Place reference materials so that the employee’s head doesn’t have to reposition every time they look from the document to the monitor. A document holder is the perfect thing to help with this.
• Remind office workers to blink – it may sound silly, but research has shown that people blink less often when looking at computer screens and electronic devices. Blinking is the body’s way of moisturizing the eyes, which can help prevent eye strain.

Safeguarding your employees against injury is a year-round process that needs constant attention. If an accident happens, MedExpress is open from 8 to 8, seven days a week with no appointment necessary to assist. Learn how we can help and find the neighborhood location closest to your business.

References:

1 American Optometric Association (AOA). “Comprehensive eye exams.” Accessed March 13, 2023.

2 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). “Eye Safety.” Accessed March 13, 2023.

3 AOA. “Protecting your eyes at work.” Accessed March 13, 2023.

4 American Association of Ophthalmology (AAO). “Perfect Vision? 20 Tips to Keep It That Way.” February 10, 2020. Accessed March 13, 2023.

5 Prevent Blindness. “Protect Your Vision at Work.” February 26, 2019. Accessed March 14, 2023.

6 Occupational Safety and Health Administration. “Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs.” Accessed March 14, 2023.

7 OSHA. “1910.151 – Medical services and first aid.” Accessed March 14, 2023.

8 OSHA. “Health Effects from Contaminated Water in Eyewash Stations.” Accessed March 14, 2023.

9 OSHA. “Standard Interpretations/Requirements for eyewash and shower facilities.” Accessed March 14, 2023.

10  American National Standards Institute (ANSI). “ANSI Z358.1-2014: Emergency Eyewash & Shower Standard.” July 3, 2018. Accessed March 14, 2023

11 AOA. “Tips for Choosing the Best Sunglasses.” June 10, 2021. Accessed March 14, 2023.

12 AOA. “Computer vision syndrome.” Accessed March 14, 2023.

13 AOA. “Eye Health Guidance for Screen Time.” Accessed March 14, 2023.