Page 21 - Occupational Health & Safety, July 2017

2014 standard. These employers should ac- tivate these units weekly in order to make certain it is operational and to get rid of any sediment that may be in the supply line. This testing should continue as long as necessary to ensure there is flushing fluid supply at the device’s delivery head and to clear sediment.
Placement of the emergency equipment is very important. Manufacturers say that it’s key to have an appropriate flushing system located on the same level and within 10 sec- onds’ travel distance, or about 55 feet, from the hazard; to protect the equipment and supplies against extremely hot or cold tem- peratures; and to get rid of any and all trip hazards between the hazard and the equip- ment. (In other words, a person in pain and with possibly obstructed vision should be able to traverse the path from hazard to the flushing units within seconds.)
The High Cost of Eye Injuries
Eye injury statistics are available from a variety of sources, including the American Optometric Association, the American Academy of Ophthalmology1, NIOSH, the National Safety Council, and others. The National Safety Council’s Injury Facts, 2016 Edition tells us there were 22,120 occupa- tional eye injuries in the U.S. private sector during 2013, and these injuries accounted for 2.4 percent of the private-sector injuries that year resulting in days away from work. Injuries affecting the back, hand, head, and knees caused larger percentages of the lost- time cases that year, but eye injuries are es- pecially costly and debilitating.
OSHA has stated that thousands of workers are blinded each year from work- related eye injuries that could have been prevented, and the agency reported2 that eye injuries alone cost more than $300 mil- lion per year in lost production time, medi- cal expenses, and workers’ compensation.
Still, it’s worth pointing out here that more injuries occur at home than any- where else, according to CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. We need to be wearing protective eyewear and avoiding vision hazards during activities at home just as we do in the workplace.
Potential eye hazards on the job include:
■ Dust, concrete, metal, and particles
■ Chemical splashes and fumes
■ Radiation (especially visible light,
ultraviolet radiation, heat or infrared radia-
tion, and lasers)
■ Bloodborne pathogens in health
care from blood and body fluids
Some workers face multiple eye haz-
ards, such as heat and particles simultane- ously; conduct a hazard assessment before selecting eye protection for all types of haz- ardous exposures.
After an injured worker has used an eyewash or emergency shower unit for the specified 15-minute period, the indi- vidual should visit a doctor to determine whether anything more needs to be done for the preservation of his or her vision,
the American Optometric Association3 advises.
Jerry Laws is the editor of Occupational Health & Safety.
REFERENCES
1. https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-preven- tion/injuries-work
2. https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/eyefaceprotection/
3. https://www.aoa.org/patients-and- public/caring-for-your-vision/protecting-your- vision?sso=y
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