Page 88 - Occupational Health & Safety, June 2017

VISION PROTECTION
Sustaining an eye injury, especially one that leads to permanent vision loss, can have devastating outcomes for the injured worker.
wear, the worker is more willing to wear it on a regular basis.
■ Style/fashion. Because fashion tends to change rather quick- ly, market participants need to follow the trends and be ready to adjust their product offerings on short notice. A trend to entice end users to wear their eyewear is to offer logo and branded items. Some leading PPE manufacturers offer in-house custom pad print-
ing to brand safety eyewear.
■ Price. Price influences purchases and budgets. Many manu-
facturers offer value, performance, and premium brands to satisfy economic and style demands.
■ Protection. The user wants the product to provide the maxi- mum amount of protection from flying debris and hazards, as well as protect the eye from damaging UV rays.
■ Specific applications. The right lens color, coatings, and eye- wear styles used in the proper job application can enhance the per- formance and productivity of the user.
■ Anti-fog coatings. Anti-fog coatings are either water based (hydrophilic) or solvent based (hydrophobic). The coating is either built into the lens for long-term use and durability or it is a sur- face coating. If the coating is not built into the lens, the anti-fog
coating becomes quickly compromised after multiple cleanings or exposure to abrasion. Water-based coatings are non-toxic and non- flammable, unlike solvent-based coatings, which can be highly toxic. Keep in mind that a good anti-fog solution increases usage of personal protective eyewear, especially since fogged eyewear is the number one job site complaint.
Our Eyes Deserve Quality PPE
Sustaining an eye injury, especially one that leads to permanent vi- sion loss, can have devastating outcomes for the injured worker. Our eyes are truly amazing, and our sight is one of the most de- veloped senses in humans. When vision is impaired, the quality of life and the ability to work experience a drastic and unfortunate decline. Therefore, preventing eye injuries should be a top task on every safety professional’s to-do list. Prevent Blindness America, the nation’s leading volunteer eye health and safety organization, says that “90% of all workplace eye injuries can be avoided by using proper safety eyewear.”
Mary Padron is a MarCom + Event Specialist at Radians, Inc. Ra- dians has more than 110 styles of ANSI Z87+ rated safety eyewear, including its premium Crossfire® brand with de-centered lenses for optical clarity. Radians also offers safety eyewear with an advanced, water-based anti-fog coating called IQuityTM, which is long-lasting and durable. For more information, visit www.radians.com.
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