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WARNING: There are disturbing eye injury photos in this safety talk.
Eye injuries are a common injury in the workplace. Safety glasses should be high on the Personal Protection Equipment list in any company. Eye injuries can be caused by dust, heat, UV and foreign objects. Eye injuries can cause permanent damage to one’s eyes. Immediate and efficient first response to eye injuries is necessary to save someone’s vision.
Here are the most common types of eye injuries and what to do if something happens.
Foreign Objects in the Eye:
Splinters, large dust particles and even bugs can enter the eyes.
When treating the eye:
1. Wash your hands immediately.
2. If the person is wearing contacts, remove these
3. Rinse the eye in an eye wash station.
4. If the object is in the white of the eye use a wet and clean cotton swab
and try get the object to stick to it. Do not dig with the swab.
5. If the object is metal, see a doctor
Scratched Cornea:
This is a consequence of having a foreign object in the eye. In most cases
the cornea gets scratched from rubbing the eye.
1. Wash your hands
2. Remove any contacts
3. Rinse the eye in an eye wash station.
4. Wear an eye patch until the eye heals
Black Eye:
Black eyes are bruising around the eye. There are steps to prevent black eyes should an accident occurs.
1. Keep the head elevated
2. Check the eye for possible injuries
3. Apply an ice pack, every 10 minutes, to reduce swelling and bruising.
Do not use a ice pack that contains chemicals.
4. Use warm packs for the days afterwards to speed up bruise fading.
Chemical Burns:
Chemical burns are very serious and should be prevented at all times by
wearing eye protection at all times.
If any chemical liquid reaches your eye rinse immediately and seek immediate
medical help.
Heat Burns:
At no time should you be working with heat without eye protection. If it does happen seek help immediately.
1. Flush eyes with cool running water. Attempt to open and close under the
water for half an hour.
2. Apply a sterile bandage. Do not place pressure on the eyes.
3. Seek medical attention immediately. If left untreated infections can occur
Cuts to the Eye:
It is important to react quickly to cuts to the eye.
1. Get a sterile cloth and apply pressure to the area to stop bleeding but do
not press directly on the eyeball.
2. Seek medical attention immediately.
UV:
When working outdoors or driving ensure that your workers have UV protection safety glasses. The sun is a leading cause of eye cancer. UV protection safety glasses should be worn all year round to protect the eyes from the suns harmful rays.
Preventing eye injuries is as easy as wearing safety glasses. If you are unsure
if you safety glasses are compliant to AS/NZ Standards check the arm band for
the AS/NZS marking. If you have more questions feel free to contact us or talk
to your PPE provider.
“PPE - The last line of defence”
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