4 Reasons You Should Wear Safety Glasses While Working

The department of labor in the USA has always been at the forefront of ensuring that different work environments are safe for the workers. The department of labor ensures workers are safe through the implementation of various legal frameworks that aim to ensure workers stay safe. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration Act of 1970 lists various safety requirements and procedures for different workplaces. However, regardless of whether the act is fully implemented in various workplaces, accidents still do happen.

Reports from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics state that about 20,000 eye injuries occur at work on an annual basis. A significant percentage of these injuries are classified as those that could have been avoided if the associated personnel were using appropriate safety equipment. Eye injuries are easily preventable while working by wearing protective equipment. For eye safety, the available safety equipment includes goggles, face shields, and glasses. Goggles and safety glasses easily serve every worker without being uncomfortable or making them uncomfortable. However, safety glasses are uncomfortable for select groups of people. The availability of safety glasses has helped ensure that every person is safe while working. However, although safety glasses are gaining popularity, some people are still hesitant about buying them. This article describes the reasons why you should buy and wear safety glasses while working.

1. Working Convenience

One unspoken factor about wearing safety glasses at work is how uncomfortable they are for people who wear regular prescription glasses. People who wear regular prescription glasses are often faced with a situation whereby they have to choose between wearing their prescription glasses or safety glasses. With the modern evolution of eye safety equipment, professionals have figured out ways to incorporate corrective lens prescriptions into safety glasses. The use of prescription safety glasses helps workers who use corrective glasses to enjoy the clarity and perfect vision gotten from their corrective lenses. They do this while also staying safe behind the safety glasses.

SportRx offers workers the ability to buy their prescription safety glasses online. Workers also have a wide range of frames to choose from. The dealer also keeps in mind that different workplaces or industries have different safety ratings required in the safety glasses. Various safety glasses have different safety ratings. This largely depends on impact resistance and user protection capability. The safety glasses are also versatile in a manner that they can also be used when sporting. Prescription sports sunglasses allow one to focus on their sport without being worried about getting any accidents or injuries.

2. Eye Damage Protection

The statistics listed above regarding the number of eye injuries sustained at work every year is a shocking figure. These statistics portray the dire situation of how workers put energy into ensuring they do not get hurt at work. Wearing safety glasses at work protects a person from getting hurt. The safety glasses take in any impact that would have otherwise been taken by one’s eyes. The safety glasses also protect workers from the entry of foreign materials such as sawdust, iron fillings, etc., into the eyes. When working in some industries or on some tasks, you must use safety glasses, otherwise, you are risking your vision. People who do welding are a good example of this group of people. When welding, there is harsh visible light produced during the process.

The harsh light produced during welding can easily damage one’s eyes. The eyes can get damaged because the iris’ normal ability to constrict and regulate the amount of light getting into the eyes is negatively impacted. The infrared light produced during the welding processes can also emanate significant heat. The heat produced can easily heat the lens of the eye. When the lens of the eye are exposed to heat, one easily develops cataracts in the long run. Cataracts will affect vision by causing one to perceive their environment in a blurry manner. Workers working in timber milling areas also need protective eyewear to prevent the milled pieces of timber from getting into the eyes. This can cause eye irritation and even bleeding in some cases. Whatever the work, you should use safety glasses if there is any eye injury risk associated with it. This fact stands regardless of how minute the risk of eye injury is.

3. Preventing Damage to Regular Glasses

It is quite common to come across workers who are using their regular prescription glasses in place of safety glasses. The workers do this because they cannot see and therefore work clearly without their prescription glasses. Prescription safety glasses come in to help workers facing this concern. When workers use prescription safety glasses rather than regular glasses, their prescription glasses last longer. The prescription glasses last longer because they are not used for tasks that they are not intended for. When used as safety glasses, prescription glasses can crack, shatter, break or have scratches due to exposure to poor conditions. In places such as welding stations, regular prescription glasses will break easily if they are subjected to any impact from metal fillings. When you stop using your prescription glasses in place of safety glasses, they will last longer.

4. UV Light Protection

One unpopular use of safety glasses is in workplaces where there is UV light or lasers in use. UV light poses several dangers and risks to the human eye; therefore, one is advised to avoid it. The impact of UV light on the human eye is one that causes premature aging of the eye structures. Some of the eye structures that age prematurely upon exposure to UV light are the cornea, iris, eye lens, etc. When working with lasers, people should also use safety glasses to protect their eyes. The powerful light of lasers can easily damage one’s retina, leading to partial or complete blindness. The safety glasses that are used when working with lasers provide an optical density that attenuates lasers. It attenuates the lasers while also ensuring that enough light passes through for clear vision.

Conclusion

If you have not been wearing safety glasses or any other form of eye safety wear while working, it is high time you value your sight. The failure to use protective eyewear when working can easily lead to fatal incidents that, in some cases, can even be life-threatening.