Injuries on the job are inevitable. One of the best ways to protect your business and its employees from harm is to understand the risks present and prepare for them.
A common workplace injury involves the eyes. These accidents can include temporary or permanent vision loss – making them very urgent to address. In addition to medical expenses, there are also productivity decreases that can occur when your staff is out of work to heal. Not to mention the fines and other risks that are on the line. There’s a critical need to address eye safety in the workplace before it becomes a problem at all. Here’s how:
Assess the Risks
Understanding what can cause eye injuries (flying debris, chemicals or airborne objects) is key to knowing the risks of your particular workplace. If you work in a laboratory setting where chemicals are being used the likelihood that they could splash up is very high. Having the right safety goggles for anyone in the area where the chemical is used is vital. If you’re a machine shop and have a welder, they should be protecting their vision from dangerous radiation with the right mask. There are so many scenarios that can happen in so many different workplaces, so it’s important to uncover which are prone to happen in your setting.
Get Protected
Once you know what could potentially happen to cause an eye injury at your workplace, the next step is to get prepared and protected. Purchase compliant safety gear and PPE from a trusted supplier. Ensure they meet all necessary requirements and are up to code and purchase enough for all of your staff and visitors to utilize.
Train Employees
In addition to the right tools to address risks, training is critical. When employees know how to use the safety equipment they are given and are shown the reason for its necessity through training, then it can be easier to enforce rules and get full cooperation.
SoCal First Aid provides safety training and a variety of OSHA compliance courses, for industries across Southern California. A full range of first aid supplies, personal protection equipment (PPE), and safety supplies are also available for purchase.