More Than 1000 Eye Injuries Occur Daily In Industrial Settings By Jim Herring 2007.12 The other day we issued another in a long list of warnings to employees about wearing proper eye protection while they are engaged in any activities that could possibly cause injury. Eye injuries are a major concern in metal shops such as ours, so we have to stay on top of this safety issue. We even threaten to send folks home if they refuse to wear proper eye protection while engaged in manufacturing operations throughout the plant. We stress this topic so often that I began to wonder if the issue was really as much of a safety concern as I was led to believe. So I spent a recent afternoon researching the topic on the US Department of Labor, OSHA website. The data more than vindicated my concern. Every day, approximately 1000 eye injuries occur in US manufacturing facilities. The cost exceeds $300 million in lost production time, medical expenses, and workers compensation claims. And, that does not include the personal loss of income or loss of eyesight to the injured parties. You don’t have to operate a metal processing plant to have eye hazards at your place of work. Potential hazards can be found in almost every manufacturing plant in the country. Service providers aren’t exempt, either. Conduct a walk-through at your facility or on one of your job sites. The potential hazards are there and easy to identify. Power tools used to cut, drill, mold or shape wood, metal or plastic materials are perhaps the single biggest contributor to eye injuries. Flying particles, many smaller than the head of a pin, are among the most common problems. As a matter of fact, according to the OSHA website, flying particles account for more than 70 percent of all industrial eye injuries. Chemicals are the next largest contributor, being responsible for 20 percent of all industrial eye injuries. Other culprits include objects swinging from a fixed or attached position, like tree limbs, ropes, chains, or tools, which were pulled into the eye while the operator was using them. As serious as this problem is, it is one of the easiest to correct and avoid. The vast majority of eye injuries would have been avoided had the injured party been wearing the proper eye protection. It is estimated that three out of every five workers injured were not wearing eye protection at the time of their injury. The key word here is PROPER eye protection. Many accidents occurred, according to the website, because the injured party did not wear safety glasses with side shields. The message this month is clear — make sure your employees wear proper eye protection at all times. Who knows, you might save someone his or her eyesight. I don’t know about you, but I consider sight to be the most valuable of our five senses. Until next month, be safe. Jim Herring is Vice President of Marketing and Procurement at Saf-T-Cart in Clarksdale, Miss. He can be reached via email at jim@saftcart.com.
