Preventing Eye Injuries in the Workplace

July is eye injury prevention month. It's easy to see that preventing 2,000 eye injuries a day in the home and at the workplace is important.¹ The result of eye injuries can be severe, as 10 to 20 percent of all work-related accidents result in temporary or permanent vision loss.² Employees in the manufacturing, construction, and trade industries; and those in production; installation, maintenance and repair; construction and extractive; and service occupations are most at risk of incurring an eye injury.³

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that nearly 70 percent of all eye injuries are a result of sparks, small particles, and flying or falling objects hitting the eye.⁴ Other injuries can occur in health care workers or other occupations that are exposed to infectious diseases that can be acquired though the eyes.¹ The BLS also estimates that employers in the U.S. spend more than $300 million per year in lost production time, medical expenses, and workers compensation.³ About 1 in 10 injured workers missed one or more workdays to recover. ³

What Employers Can Do:
Prevention is the key to reducing the amount of eye injuries. Almost 90% of all eye injuries could be avoided or lessened by wearing protective eye gear.⁴ Employers can help employees reduce their risk for eye injuries by:

• Providing effective eye protection (at no cost to the employee) that is suited for the hazard they could encounter and that is properly fitted.³
• Requiring goggles to be worn in addition to face shields.³
• Educating employees about situations where eye protection is required.²
• Educating employees about the benefits of early detection and treatment of eye conditions:⁴
  • Children should be screened for problems by the age of five.
  • Young adults should visit an eye doctor as needed.
  • Adults between 40 and 65 should have an eye exam every 2 to 4 years.
  • Adults over 65 should have an exam every one to two years.
  • Symptoms requiring a visit to an ophthalmologist include:
    • Visual changes, pain, flashes of light, seeing spots, excessive tearing, or excessive dryness.

Resources

¹ National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Eye safety. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/eye/. Accessed July 15, 2008.
² Prevent Blindness America. Eye safety at work. Available at: http://www.preventblindness.org/safety/worksafe.html. Accessed July 15, 2008.
³ Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Eye protection in the workplace. Available at: http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=FACT_SHEETS&p_id=142. Accessed July 15, 2008.
⁴ Federal Occupational Health. Eye injury prevention month. Available at: http://www.foh.dhhs.gov/Public/NYCU/eyeinjury.asp. Accessed July 15, 2008.