Protecting Your Eyes
There really isn`t much to be said about protecting your eyes other than you would be foolish not to do so at all times while on the job.
Eye protection devices have been used in the construction industries since 1910. While the original eye protection devices were somewhat limited, today there are eye protection devices for every type of exposure.
While the wearing of eye protection at all times is strongly encouraged, many projects demand that workers wear eye protection. Just a few of these are:
- Chipping, sledging and hammering on metal, stone or concrete
- Use of manual, pneumatic and power impact tools
- Caulking, brushing and grinding
- Drilling, scaling and scraping
- Babbitting, soldering and casting hot metals
- Handling acids, caustics and creosoted materials
- Gas welding, cutting and brazing
- Drilling overhead
- In environments of excessive dust
- Electric arc welding and cutting, and other operations that expose the eyes to flying particles, dust, hot liquids, molten substances, gases, fumes and liquids.
Some people just don`t like to wear safety glasses and goggles. One of the complaints is that goggles tend to fog up. Fogging happens when sweat vaporizes and coats the inside of the lens. If you have this problem with goggles and glasses, wear a handkerchief or sweatband around your forehead to keep perspiration out.
Another complaint is that eye protection devices are uncomfortable, but usually this is because the eye protection device does not fit properly. Make sure that you have the device properly adjusted for the correct fit or simply get another that fits betters. You can see a lot better out of a properly fitted eye protection device that you can out of a glass eye.
Like all safety devices, eye protection is there for you and your eyes. Be smart and use eye protection at all times when on the job. What have you got to loose? Your sight?