Improper eyewear selection is one reason eye injuries occur at a rate of more than 1,000 per day in U.S. workplaces.  Each year, such injuries cost companies and workers more than $467 million.

Eyewear blending style and protection.  It’s up to eyewear manufacturers to make it, and up to you and your company to recommend and purchase it.

Standard operating procedure
In the past decade, organizations have created standards to ensure the safety of American workers.

Instituted in 1994, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s updated personal protective equipment regulations place the responsibility of a safe work environment on the employer.

The regulation mandates that companies perform a walk-through hazard assessment of the workplace in order to determine the best spectacle or goggle for each job.  It is no longer the employee’s responsibility to “remember” to protect his or her eyes.  It’s required that the employer demand and enforce it.

Why was the change made?

According to OSHA, the proper use of protective eyewear prevents as many as 94 percent of workplace eye injuries.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) adopted an eye protection standard incorporating the major types of hazards encountered in the workplace.  The standard, collectively known as ANSI Z87.1-1998, requires that eyewear manufacturers conduct high mass impact and velocity impact tests for their spectacles, goggles, faceshields and welding helmets.

New safety eyewear designs should primarily be based on OSHA and ANSI regulations.

An attractive appearance, while important for end-user usage, is the secondary focus.

When evaluating the design concept, the following are pertinent questions not only for eyewear manufacturers, but also for end-users:

— Will the protective eyewear provide sufficient coverage?

— Is the product rugged enough to hold up to impact testing and world standards?

— What type of features should the product have (adjustable temples, replaceable lenses, etc.)?

— Who is the targeted end-user of this product?

Size does matter
There are many factors to consider when choosing protective eyewear.  One of the most significant safety concerns is size. What is a “safe” size in eyewear?

Size is a variable which depends on the individual wearer’s face.

While a pair of spectacles may fit well on the average man or woman, they may fit incorrectly on a person with a fuller or thinner face.  This variance, a gap, would most likely be evident in the lower outside corners of the eyewear.  The rule of thumb is, if you can insert the eraser end of a pencil into any side of the eyewear, there is room for particles, heat or chemicals to reach the eye.

These seemingly minuscule gaps can and do lead to serious eye injuries.

Companies must follow OSHA’s rules requiring all workers to acquaint and protect themselves from the three main categories of eye hazards — impact, light radiation and liquid splash.  Each hazard can cause very serious, permanent damage to the eyes, if the correct protective eyewear is not worn.

The hazards inherent in a particular job determine the needed type of safety eyewear (i.e. spectacles vs. goggles).

From dust and particles, to heat, to intense light, to liquids and gases, there are spectacles or goggles that adequately protect eyes from injury.

In some situations, face shields are also needed in combination with spectacles or goggles.

Six factors to consider
Once hazards and situations are determined, purchase protective eyewear based on quality, comfort, feedback, lens options, fit and style.

Quality ensures better and longer protection.

Comfort keeps the employee from constantly having to adjust the spectacles.

Feedback, for a company, makes compliance to mandatory rules easier to enforce.

Lens options (needed prescriptions, anti-glare, anti-fog, indoor/outdoor, etc.) ensures proper vision.

The final two determinants, fit and style, are equally important, but often are overlooked.

Proper-fitting eye protection is crucial.  The majority of accidents that occur (with protection on) are due to an improper fit or an inappropriate type of spectacle.  In order to ensure a proper fit, eyewear should be attended to by an eyecare specialist.

Although style may seem insignificant, it is quite the opposite.  Good style makes people feel better about wearing the protection and increases the chances they will use the product.  This may indirectly be the factor that saves a plant worker’s eyes.

Comfort and compliance
Employers must use common sense and extreme care when examining the workplace for potential hazards.  They must determine where face and eye protection is needed and provide the necessary equipment.

Voluntary compliance in the workplace is far easier today with the vast selection of styles available for various needs.  Safety eyewear has evolved to be more comfortable to the end-user.

It is now possible for employees to be protected, and at the same time feel confident with their appearance.

Ken Duffie is the engineering manager at H.L. Bouton Co., a manufacturer of safety eyewear.

This article appeared in the October/November 1999 issue of MRO Today magazine.  Copyright 1999.