Eye Protection

Our eyes are vital.  Eye protection is important.  Suitable Eye Protection must be worn when appropriate.  Eye Protection does not stop within the workplace.  Our eyes are delicate and can be easily damaged.  Protect your eyes at all times; in the car, at the beach, in the home or outdoors.  UV rays from the sun can also cause irreversible damage to our eyes.  While outdoors, wear the appropriate approved sunglasses.  It is important to ensure that your hands are clean before you touch or rub around your eyes.  Have your eyes and eyesight professionally checked regularly.  Remember – it is easier to protect your eyes against damage and injury than to replace lost sight.

SAFETY ALERT – EYE INJURY FROM LACK OF PROTECTION

What happened? -  Tom is a bricklaying apprentice.  He was working on a site carrying a bucket full of mortar on his shoulder.  As he went to set the bucket down, it slipped and slammed on the ground causing the mortar to fly up and cover his face and eyes.  At the time of the incident, Tom was NOT wearing his glasses and was using bricklaying gloves instead of manual handling/labouring gloves.

The supervisor washed his eyes out then took him to the first aider the finally put him in the car to take him to hospital.  From start to finish it was around 45 minutes from the time of the accident to Tom being seen by a doctor, his eyes were burning all this time.  The mortar caused severe burns to both his eyeballs, the mortar had also started to go off, so needed to be scraped off his eyeballs by the doctor.  Tom has had a number of stays in hospital and has had several operations already.  Tom still doesn’t know how much sight he is going to get back, how many more operations will be required or how long it will take him to recover.

When asked if he had a message for others, Tom simply said “WEAR YOUR GLASSES.”  Glasses wouldn’t have prevented the incident from happening, as the mortar would still have splashed, BUT glasses WOULD have massively reduced the severity of Tom’s terrible injuries.

-  Wear your eye protection – it could save your site

-  Make sure that the gloves and glasses you are wearing are suitable for the task.

- If you get mortar in your eye, flush eyes continuously with clean running water and get somebody to call for medical advice.

Our TADSA projects do not usually involve carrying a bucket full of mortar, but this safety alert reminds us how important it is to –

wear the appropriate safety equipment for the job being done.

 Type of Eye Protection Available:

• Safety Spectacles (non prescription)
• Chemical Splash Goggles
• Full Face Shields
• Safety Sun Goggles
• Replacement Lenses
• Use only approved lens cleaner or cloth.

Correct Fit

Safety Glasses or Goggles must fit correctly.  They must remain close to your eyes and should be comfortable on the ears and not slide down the bridge of the nose.  Goggles may need to be worn when full eye protection is required against such hazards as chemical splash, dust or where impact from machined particles is likely to occur. They must have a firm but comfortable fit around the forehead, cheeks and nose.  Goggles can also be worn under face shields.

Replacement and Care:

• Replace lenses if they become scratched or damaged
• Replace if the fit is uncomfortable, too tight or too loose
• Use only approved lens cleaner from the cleaning stations
• Wear your protective equipment when necessary
• When not in use, place in a protective pouch or put them up on a flat surface