Importance of safety at the workplace:
Unforeseen incidents at the workplace costing the life and health of workers are disturbing not just for the employees but the employer as well. They cost a lot in terms of lost health, pain and suffering, financial dent, and in worst cases loss of life. Non-monetary costs include stress and worry, problems in the relationship and marital life, and most importantly low morale of the employees at the workplace. An accident caused by inadequate safety measures at the workplace may stir agitation amongst all the employees hampering productivity. Hence, in the best interest of all, workplace safety goggles and health come before everything else.
Reasons to wear safety goggles at the workplace:
Annually thousands of workers suffer from work-related eye injuries in the US. People tend to underestimate the importance of safety goggles while they form an important part of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Safety work goggles create a protective seal around the eyes, hindering dust particles, debris, and any other thing that may harm the eyes. Here are some of the most valid reasons why you should be wearing goggles at the workplace.
Compliance with health and safety standards: –OSHA mandates all the organizations to ensure workers’ safety by providing them with safety goggles where there is a risk of damaging eyes. Failure to provide adequate safety may lead to hefty fines. Moreover, such organizations may face backlash from social rights workers and organizations.
Protection against hazards:
Safety goggles protect against injuries and accidents that may damage eyesight at the workplace. Eye injuries can be very serious and can even lead to loss of vision. Given the sensitivity of the eyes, an eye injury could be very painful. Hence it is important to protect against such misery.
Protection against illnesses:
In many workplaces, staring at certain things for long hours such as bright lights, radiation, and even computers can cause eye strain. This may develop into illness in the long run. Safety medical goggles can prevent illnesses that hamper your eyesight.
Prevention is better than cure:
The cost of wearing safety work goggles is substantially lower than treating severely damaged eyes. The financial cost, lost working days, pain, and distress certainly outweigh the cost of wearing medical goggles. Hence better be safe than sorry.
Aid in better performance at the workplace:
In some working conditions, you cannot perform well if you don’t protect your eyes from debris, bright lights, or any other obstructions. Construction, welding, and maintenance jobs require you to wear safety goggles so that you can do your work uninterruptedly.
Protection against harmful chemicals:
Apart from this, in certain workplaces, there is a risk of harmful chemicals and contaminants entering your eyes. Pesticides or any other harmful chemicals may cause reactions and allergies in the eyes. To prevent such unwanted conditions it is important to wear safety goggles.
Situations where safety goggles are a must:
Given such important health benefits, workplace goggles should not be neglected. There are certain work situations where goggles are essential. This includes: –
- When working with things like wood, concrete, and metal pieces such as in manufacturing industries and automotive repair.
- When working in an environment where things like excessive heat or fog may hinder work performance such as in laboratories and the construction sector.
- Healthcare services pose a significant threat to the professionals’ well-being. There is always a risk of bacteria and viruses getting into the eyes through airborne particles or blood-borne pathogens. Safety goggles prevent such hazards.
- Even at offices, the harmful blue light emitted through computer screens lays strain on the eyes. Significant exposure to this light for long hours can cause irreversible damage to the eyes. Safety medical goggles protect eyes from such damage.
What else can be done to ensure eye safety at the workplace:
A better understanding of the reasons why eye safety is important can help inculcate a sense of responsibility in the employers. A regular environmental scanning may help reduce elements such as debris and dust particles that could harm the eyes.
According to experts, safety medical goggles can prevent up to 90% of eye injuries and mishaps. Hence make sure you have safety goggles in bulk so that you never run out of such valuable PPE.
