Page 50 - Occupational Health & Safety, December 2018

VISION PROTECTION
Eye Protection for Pesticides and Other Chemicals
Oregon OSHA posted a revised guidance document3 in October 2018 on selection and use of personal protective equipment for pesticide use. The guide covers vision protection, respiratory pro- tection, apparel, hand protection, and footwear.
“When selecting personal protective equipment (PPE) for yourself or your employees who are applying pesticides, the label on the pesticide is your main source of information,” it states. “Un- like most other types of product labels, pesticide labels are legally enforceable. In other words, the label is the law! The Environmen- tal Protection Agency controls labeling requirements for pesticide products. Manufacturers must provide personal protective equip- ment guidance for handlers to ensure their safety when mixing, loading, applying, or otherwise handling pesticides.”
The document states that workers must use appropriate eye protection when the pesticide label specifies the following:
■ Protective eyewear—Use safety glasses with brow, front, and temple protection; a faceshield; fully enclosed goggles; or a full-face respirator.
■ Goggles—Use fully enclosed, chemical splash-resistant gog- gles or a full-face respirator.
■ Full-face respirator—You must use a tight-fitting, full-face respirator.
The document notes that the protective eyewear must meet or exceed the current impact-resistance specification of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI Z87.1). “Polycarbonate is light- weight and provides strong impact resistance and good chemical splash resistance. Wrap-around safety glasses are not acceptable for protection when spraying. Special goggles are made to wear over prescription glasses. Goggles must not interfere with the seal of a tight-fitting respirator. If you use a half-mask respirator, use gog- gles designed to fit over the nose-piece of your respirator.”
As the guidance document demonstrates, chemical exposure is one of the main causes of eye and face injuries. Goggles and faceshields are effective in preventing chemical exposures; it is also important for employees working with “injurious corrosive materi- als” to know the location of emergency eyewash stations and how to access them with restricted vision. That term is found in OSHA’s medical services and first standard, 29 CFR 1910.151: “Where the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials, suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body shall be provided within the work area for imme- diate emergency use.” The key consensus standard is ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2014, American National Standard for Emergency Eyewash and Shower Equipment.
Linking Good Vision to Road Safety
Essilor this year has stressed what it called “the crucial link between good vision and road safety” with a global campaign that urged pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers to:
■ Check your vision regularly
■ Wear appropriate glasses
■ Protect your eyes from glare
The company noted that “vision is one of the most important
senses used when making decisions on the road, yet it remains un- corrected in many regions around the world.”
Worldwide, more than 1.25 million people die in traffic crashes
every year and from 20 million to 50 million people suffer non- fatal injuries in traffic accidents annually, the World Health Orga- nization has reported. More than 90 percent of the traffic deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced on Oct. 3, 2018, that highway deaths declined in 2017 to in the United States after two consecutive years of large increases. “Safety is the Department’s number one priority,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said. “The good news is that fatalities are trending downward after increasing for the two previous years. But the tragic news is that 37,133 people lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes in 2017. All of us need to work together to reduce fatalities on the roads.”
As it marked World Sight Day in October 2018, Essilor updated the www.putvisionfirst.com website5 that had been introduced in 2017. It now features basic screening tests suitable for mobile de- vices at near vision distance, to encourage visitors to take the first step toward checking their vision and help to increase consulta- tions with eye care professionals.
Jerry Laws is the editor of Occupational Health & Safety.
REFERENCES
1. https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/eyeandface/faqs.html
2. National Safety Council Injury Facts®, 2017 edition
3. https://osha.oregon.gov/OSHAPubs/1018.pdf
4. https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/eyeandface/ppe/chemicals.html 5. https://putvisionfirst.com/en
46 Occupational Health & Safety | DECEMBER 2018
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