Overview

This article discusses the Occupational Safety and Health Administration/Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA/VOSH) requirement for employee protective eyewear, types of eye protection and examples of appropriate use.

What’s the Issue?

Job-related eye injuries occur at an alarming rate. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least 2,000 workers experience eye injuries each day and more than 800,000 eye injuries occur annually¹. Depending on the severity of the injury, workers may suffer temporary or permanent loss of vision.

How and why do these eye injuries occur? Causes of injury may include equipment malfunction, not wearing the provided eye protection, not wearing the appropriate type of protection, and wearing improperly fitted or improperly maintained eye protection. A contributing factor may also include a lack of appropriate training about all aspects of the required personal protective equipment (PPE).

First Things First

Many employers utilize PPE as a first step, but PPE should be the last resort after exhausting all other means of removing a hazardous exposure to the employee. Always conduct a hazard assessment and utilize processes such as the job safety analysis (JSA) to identify ways to eliminate or “engineer out” the hazards before deciding to protect employees with PPE. OSHA/VOSH outlines requirements for written hazard assessments in general PPE guidelines found in 29 CFR 1910.132(d), Hazard assessment and equipment selection. (For tips on conducting PPE hazard assessments see the article entitled “Personal Protective Equipment: Employer Responsibilities.” For information about JSAs, see the article entitled “Job Safety Analysis: A Fundamental Tool for Safety.”

Determining Appropriate Eye Protection

OSHA/VOSH has specific guidelines for protective eyewear, outlined in 29 CFR 1910.133, Eye and Face Protection. Selected eye protection should be suitable for hazards identified in the hazard assessment. Various tasks and exposures will require different types of PPE. For example, a welder would need eyewear to protect from sparks, flying debris, heat, and the radiant energy produced by the type of welding being performed. General purpose safety glasses or goggles would not be appropriate for use in this situation.

Types of Eye Protection

OSHA/VOSH in general instructs employers to provide eye protection, including side protection using side shields, when an employee is exposed to flying objects. Employees wearing prescription glasses must be provided protection to wear over their prescription glasses or be provided safety glasses/goggles with prescription lenses incorporated into the design.

There are a variety of types of eye protection now available to employees including:

• Safety glasses (impact-resistant with integrated or detachable side shields)


• Safety goggles (some impact-resistance, can fit over prescription lenses)


• Welding goggles and shields (filtered lenses protect from radiant and infrared light). Filtered lenses should be appropriate for the type of welding being performed as listed in OSHA/VOSH 1910.133(a)(5).

Employers may consider providing tinted or shaded lenses in addition to regular safety glasses for outdoor workers. Non-shaded lenses are the most appropriate choice for indoor work.

Eyewear meeting American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards are imprinted with the ANSI Z87.1989 stamp. Employers should periodically perform an audit of the safety glasses and detachable side shields to ensure the use of ANSI-approved prescription and non-prescription safety glasses as required.

Face Shields

Face shields not only provide protection to the eyes, but also provide protection to the face from splashes and some flying particles. Because face shields are not generally impact-resistant, they should be worn with safety glasses when there impact hazards are present. Employees operating chainsaws, however, should not use plastic face shields for protection from flying wood debris. These employees should be protected with a metal mesh face shield and impact-resistant safety glasses with side shields.

Be sure to include employees in the eyewear selection process. Employees are less likely to use eyewear if it is uncomfortable or seems to negatively affect the way tasks are performed.

Employee Training

Employees who are required to wear eye protection should be provided information and training covering:

• The hazards present that present an exposure,


• Why the PPE is necessary,


• When it should be worn,


• How it should be worn and adjusted,


• The limitations of the PPE,


• How to care for it, and


• When to dispose of the equipment.

Employees should receive initial training when assigned to an area requiring eye protection and should be retrained whenever they demonstrate a lack of understanding about what is required, when there have been changes in the types of PPE required, or when there have been changes in the workplace. Training documents must be maintained and include the employee’s name, the training subject and content, and the date of the training.

Temporary or permanent eye injuries can have devastating effects on both employees and the organization. Providing proper protection is just the beginning. Hazard evaluation, proper training, developing and enforcing safety work rules and employee adherence to established rules are also very important. Employee and employer cooperation are the keys to ensure protection from avoidable eye injuries in the workplace.

¹Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2000). Data and Statistics: Work-related Eye Injuries. Retrieved, May 19, 2008 from http://www.eyesafety.4ursafety.com/eye-safety-articles.html http://www.cdc.gov/Features/dsworkPlaceEye/.

Resources

All About Eye Safety. (n.d.). Eye Safety. Retrieved May 19, 2008 from http://www.eyesafety.4ursafety.com/eye-safety-articles.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). NIOSH Safety and Health Topic: Eye Safety. Retrieved May 19, 2008 from http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/eye/.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). 1910.132 Subpart I-Personal Protective Equipment General Requirements. Retrieved May 1, 2008 from http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9777.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). 1910.133 Subpart I-Personal Protective Equipment Eye and Face Protection. Retrieved May 1, 2008 from http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9778.