Workplace Eye Safety

Eye injuries at work are common. Every year about 70,000 workers injure their eyes. Luckily, 90 percent of all workplace eye injuries are preventable with the use of proper safety eyewear. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that eye injuries in the workplace cost over $467 million annually.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides regulations which employers and employees must follow. OSHA reports that nearly three out of every five workers injured were not wearing eye protection at the time of their accident. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) provides these standards of eye protection for any workplace task.

• Unprotected workers will not knowingly be subjected to environmental hazards.
• Protective eyewear is required whenever there is a reasonable probability eye injury may occur.
• Employers must provide the type of eye protection best suited to the task to be performed.
• Employees are required to use the eye protectors provided.