According to Prevent Blindness America (PBA), more than 850,000 Americans injure their eyes annually during home and work activities or while playing sports. Yet experts say wearing safety glasses and taking other common-sense precautions can prevent or reduce the severity of most eye injuries. PBA says the most common agents of eye injuries at work include:

• Flying objects (bits of metal, glass, plastic)
• Air-blown and wind-blown particles (dust, wood, sand)
• Tools (screwdrivers, wrenches)
• Chemicals (gasoline, oil, solvents, acids)
• Harmful radiation (welding arcs, UV)

Every set of eyewear manufactured by Eagle Safety is in compliance with the latest ANSI standards.

The latest ANSI standards sets forth requirements for the design, construction, testing, and use of eye protection devices, including standards for impact and penetration resistance. All safety glasses, goggles, and face shields used by employees under OSHA jurisdiction must meet the latest ANSI standards. The eyewear standard includes the following minimum requirements:

• Provide adequate protection against Basic Impact or High Impact needs depending on the job demands
• Indicate on the eyewear which level of protection it satisfies, with High Impact protection indicated by added a “+” to the manufacturer’s mark
• Provide increased side shield protection with an additional 10mm of protection toward the rear of the head
• Be reasonably comfortable
• Fit securely, without interfering with movement or vision
• Be capable of being disinfected if necessary, and be easy to clean
• Be durable
• Fit over, or incorporate prescription eyewear

OSHA Standards for Eye and Face Protection (1910.133) are as follows:

1910.133(a)(1) The employer shall ensure that each affected employee uses appropriate eye or face protection when exposed to eye or face hazards from flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals, acids or caustic liquids, chemical gases or vapors, or potentially injurious light radiation.

1910.133(a)(2) The employer shall ensure that each affected employee uses eye protection that provides side protection when there is a hazard from flying objects. Detachable side protectors (e.g. clip-on or slide-on side shields) meeting the pertinent requirements of this section are acceptable.

1910.133(a)(3) The employer shall ensure that each affected employee who wears prescription lenses while engaged in operations that involve eye hazards wears eye protection that incorporates the prescription in its design, or wears eye protection that can be worn over the prescription lenses without disturbing the proper position of the prescription lenses or the protective lenses.

1910.133(a)(4) – Eye and face PPE shall be distinctly marked to facilitate identification of the manufacturer.

1910.133(a)(5) – The employer shall ensure that each affected employee uses equipment with filter lenses that have a shade number appropriate for the work being performed for protection from injurious light radiation. The following is a listing of appropriate shade numbers for various operations.

Statistically, eye injuries are most likely to occur within the workplace. Consider the following statistics:

•  It is estimated that total productivity lost due to visual loss was $48.4 billion in 2013
• Percentage of victims of occupational eye injury who were male – 80%
• Age group most likely to suffer an occupational eye injury – 25 to 34
• More than 90% of workplace eye injuries are preventable and are estimated to cost companies nearly $1 billion dollars per year
• Percentage of occupational eye injuries that could have been prevented if the victim was wearing proper eye and face protection – 90

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; the statement regarding 90% of eye injuries being avoidable comes from Prevent Blindness America, www.preventblindness.org.