Top Tips for Eye Protection Always do a risk assessment to identify any hazards that could cause injury. Ask yourself are there any hard particles, dusts, vapours or liquids – or even a combination of these? Could they enter the eye and can you control these risks? Is there a better way to actually stop the risk from occurring?
When using eye protection consider which type of eye protection is needed, which best suits the activity. Spectacle-type safety glasses are useful for lower-risk activities but do not offer full protection as the eye isn’t fully enclosed. Higher risk activities will need goggles or full face protection.
Always ensure that eye protection is CE-marked and it actually fits the individual. If wearing in conjunction with other PPE ( personal protective equipment ) make sure they don’t prevent each other from working. Some safety glasses may affect the seal on breathing apparatus. If in doubt ask for advice.
Prescription safety glasses are available today and should you have an employee that wears glasses this may be an option rather than their field of vision being compromised. If employees wear glasses, consider how they can also wear eye protection in a way which will not affect their vision, or compromise the eye protection.
Always show/train your employees in the correct use of their PPE and how to use their eye protection properly to ensure a good fit. Consider also where the PPE will be stored in order to minimise any other accidents or risk of damage to them. Make sure there is somewhere to store the goggles safely to prevent damage and rule out any chance of cross contamination.
As with all PPE, eye protection is just another control measure and should not be solely relied on. Look for the hazards in order to assess the risks. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) whilst investigating nail guns established that spectacle-type eye protection worn by employees/workers is not sufficient for use with nail guns. Nail guns can eject splinters or nails and therefore appropriate eye protection should always be used to protect from any impact. Again if in doubt ask for advice when purchasing.