I Can See Clearly Now, the Speck Is Gone: Preventing Workplace Eye Injuries

Focus on Prevention

There are simple steps you can take to prevent common eye injuries:

Start with a safe space

• Inspect your work area and eliminate loose dust or unstable debris that could fall on you or others at the workstation.
• Make sure tools have no loose parts that could dislodge during use.
• Make sure employees know how to use tooling and the hazards to watch for.

Wear eye and face protection

• Make sure you wear the right safety eyewear for the job.
• Safety glasses should be in good condition with no cracks.
• Make sure safety glasses fit snugly so they stay in place and there’s no space for objects to slip through a gap. According to the BLS, a high percentage of eye injuries in workers who were wearing eye protection occurred when objects or fluids went under or around the glasses.
• Wear a full face shield if your job requires it.
• If your job doesn’t require safety glasses? Opt to wear them anyway if you encounter conditions with flying objects (from mowing grass to operating a CNC machine).

Shake It Off

• Clean off dust and debris from hardhats, hair, even your forehead and brows before removing safety glasses.
• Brush, vacuum, or shake away loose debris from the workstation surface and above it.
• Keep dirty hands and clothing away from your eyes.
• Wash your safety glasses regularly.

First Aid Tips for Eye Injuries

Despite taking precautions, eye injuries might still occur. When they do, follow these first aid tips:

Minor Specks (like dust) or Irritations

• Do not rub the eye. Rubbing could cause worse injury by scratching the eyelid or eye itself.
• Flush the eye with plenty of clean water at room temperature. Tilting your head under a running faucet or hose is a good way to flush the eye.
• Seek medical treatment if flushing the eye doesn’t remove the speck, or if pain or swelling develop.

Foreign Objects in the Eye, Chemical Burns, or Blows to the Eye

• Foreign objects – Do not flush the eye with water if an object larger than a speck is in it. Seek medical care immediately. Do not try to remove the object yourself.
• Chemical burns – Flush the eye immediately with plenty of clean water or drinkable liquid, and seek medical care.
• Blows to the eye – Apply a cold compress or bag of crushed ice without applying pressure to the eye. Seek medical care if pain persists, or swelling, blurred vision, or discoloration occur.