March is right around the corner, and with it comes the start of Workplace Eye Wellness Month, an event sponsored by Prevent Blindness to encourage employers to make eye safety and eye protection a priority. Unfortunately, eye injuries at work happen far too often. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 20,000 workers suffer job-related eye injuries each year that require medical treatment. These injuries range from eye strain to permanent eye damage including vision loss.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology emphasizes that the most important thing you can do to protect your vision at work is to always wear appropriate protective eyewear. In fact, doing so can prevent more than 90% of serious eye injuries.
Research laboratories have their own unique eye hazards including chemical, biological, physical, and radiological. In most cases, eye protection should be worn at all times when working in, or entering, a lab, even by visitors. However, it may not always be obvious what the correct type of eyewear is.
Most frequently, in a general research laboratory setting, safety glasses with side shields are considered to be proper eye protection. However, it’s important to note that depending on the type of work being done, safety glasses may not be adequate and other protective equipment such as safety goggles and a face shield may be needed. Let’s look more closely at the different types of eye protection.
Safety Glasses
Safety glasses with side shields provide protection from moderate impact hazards such as broken glass and minor chemical, biological, and radiological splashes. They have shatter-resistant lenses commonly made of polycarbonate. If vision corrective lenses are needed, prescription or over the glasses (OTG) safety glasses are also available.
Standard prescription eyewear is not impact resistant and therefore is not a suitable alternative to safety glasses. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations [29 CFR 1910.133] require that employees who wear prescription lenses while engaged in operations that involve eye hazards wear eye protection that incorporates the prescription in its design, or they must use eyewear that can be worn over the prescription lenses without disturbing the proper position of either the protective or corrective lenses.
Consideration should be given to comfort and fit. Employees will be more likely to wear safety glasses that are comfortable for an extended period. In addition, if they fit poorly, they won’t afford the protection for which they are designed. The frames should fit close to the face without hitting the user’s eyelashes. The space around the frames and the face should be less than or equal to 6-8 millimeters. Lenses should cover both the eye and eyebrow, and safety glasses should stay in place when the head is moved around.
Safety Goggles
Although safety glasses are the most common type of eye protection worn in many laboratories, for some operations, goggles are needed in place of safety glasses. Goggles should be worn when there is a likely risk of a splash that can cause eye injury, such as when using concentrated corrosive materials, performing bulk chemical transfer, or cleaning up a spill.
Goggles provide greater protection than safety glasses as they form a protective tight-fitting seal around the eyes that prevents liquids from entering under or around them. Safety glasses on the other hand, don’t allow for a seal and leave gaps between the glasses and the face which can allow chemicals, biologicals, and other materials to splash or drip into the eyes.
Goggles may be vented or non-vented. Direct vented goggles allow for the passage of air from the work environment into the goggles and are not recommended for use in protecting against dust or liquid splash hazards. Indirect ventilated goggles permit the passage of air but can prevent the direct passage of liquids. Non-vented goggles provide maximum protection against dusts, mists, liquid splashes, and vapors. However, they are prone to fogging.
In order to provide adequate protection, goggles should fit properly to ensure there is a tight fit around the face. There should be no gaps between the goggles and the wearer’s face, and they shouldn’t slip if the head is moved around. At the same time, the goggles shouldn’t be so tight that they’re uncomfortable.
Face Shields
If the chemical, biological material, or operation being performed may injure the face, mouth, or neck, a face shield should also be worn. Face shields must not be used alone and are not a substitute for appropriate protective eyewear. If a face shield is needed, safety glasses or goggles should still be worn as primary eye protection.
All eye and face protection must comply with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard Z87.1-2020, the American National Standard for Occupational and Educational Personal Eye and Face Protection Devices. In order to meet Z87 criteria, equipment is tested and must pass stringent requirements including those for impact, distortion, light transmittance, and lens thickness. Eye and face protection that meets all criteria will carry the Z87 marking.
To help employers educate employees on eye protection and safety, Prevent Blindness offers a workplace safety module as part of its free program, the Healthy Eyes Educational Series. The module includes a presentation guide and corresponding PowerPoint presentation. Prevent Blindness also offers free eye health and safety fact sheets and infographics.
For more information on Workplace Eye Wellness Month, or for assistance evaluating your facility’s eye protection policies, please contact us.
This blog was written by Beth Graham, Safety Partners’ Director of Quality, Research, and Training.
