All About Eye Protection
David Roll & Ken Duffie & H.L. Bouton, Plant Safety & Maintenance
On-the-job accidents and injuries are most often a result of negligence and unsafe working conditions. In an effort to protect workers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), created standards 1910.132 and 1910.133, to address requirements for providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and eye protection in the workplace. However, most employers find it hard to sort through the standards to get to the heart of what they really mean in everyday life.
OSHA STANDARDS 1910.132 AND 1910.133
OSHA Standard 1910.132 (Personal Protective Equipment) states that, “Protective equipment…shall be provided, used, and maintained [by the employer] in a sanitary and reliable condition wherever it is necessary by reason of hazards…encountered in a manner capable of causing injury or impairment in the function of any part of the body through absorption, inhalation or physical contact.”
The standard goes on to stress that if an employee owns his own protective equipment, the employer is responsible for making sure it is adequate in substance and design for the work performed, including maintenance and cleaning. That stands for all PPE to be used in the workplace. OSHA also requires that all employers, “…assess the workplace to determine if hazards are present, or are likely to be present, which necessitate the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).” If such hazards exist, the employer must, “select, and have each affected employee use, the types of PPE that will protect the affected employee from the hazards identified in the hazard assessment; communicate selection decisions to each affected employee; and, select PPE that properly fits each affected employee.” According to this standard, defective or damaged personal protective equipment shall not be issued or used in the workplace.
The employer is also responsible for documenting the required workplace hazard assessment in a written certification that states the workplace evaluated, a witness to the evaluation, and the dates of the assessment, as well as providing training to each employee who is required to use PPE. Each such employee shall be trained to know at least the following:
When and what PPE is necessary; how to properly “don, doff, adjust, and wear PPE”; the limitations, proper care, maintenance, useful life and disposal of the PPE.
Each employee needs to be able to demonstrate their understanding of the training, and the ability to use PPE properly, before being allowed to perform work requiring it. If an employer has reason to believe that any employee who has already been trained, is not yet familiar and skilled enough to use the PPE, that employee must be retrained. And, like the certification that is necessary in conducting a workplace hazard analysis, employers also need to verify that each affected employee has received and understood the required training. This certification must include, “the name of each employee trained and the date(s) of training.”
OSHA Standard 1910.133 (Eye and Face Protection) requires that, “Employers shall ensure that each affected employee uses appropriate eye or face protection when exposed to eye or face hazards….”
This standard also conveys that employers are responsible for making sure that eyewear with side protectors are issued when danger of flying particles exists, and that the correct filter lenses are used when the employee is in danger of, “injurious light radiation.”
The Standard goes on to state that employees who wear prescriptive lenses while performing tasks that involve eye hazards, are issued eye protection that, “incorporates the prescription in its design, or wears eye protection that can be worn over the prescription lenses without disturbing the proper position of the prescription lenses or the protective lenses.”
Other items in the Standard include: The necessity of eye and face PPE to be clearly marked in order to identify the manufacturer; the stipulation that any protective eye and face devices purchased after July 5, 1994 conform with ANSI Z87.1-1989 standard; and eye and face protective devices purchased prior to July 5, 1994 conform with or be equivalent to the ANSI Z87.1-1968 standard.
For more from these authors on eye protection click to download: Guidelines for Preventing Eye Injuries in the Workplace
David Roll is vice president of marketing and Ken Duffie is engineering manager for H.L. Bouton Company, Inc., a manufacturer of safety eyewear located in Wareham, Mass.
Related Articles
The fact is, shop safety in the U.S. and Europe has dramatically improved over the past few decades. Many unsafe acts accepted in the past are forbidden today. The idea of working without fall protection or lockout-tagout (LOTO) procedures is widely condemned by workers, management and supervision. Still, too many people get grievously hurt or even killed at work.
The fact is, shop safety in the U.S. and Europe has dramatically improved over the past few decades. Many unsafe acts accepted in the past are forbidden today. The idea of working without fall protection or lockout-tagout (LOTO) procedures is widely condemned by workers, management and supervision. Still, too many people get grievously hurt or even killed at work.
See More
Trelleborg has developed a product, that can withstand a jet fire - the cause of the Piper Alpha disaster. The product is already in use on several platforms, primarily in the North Sea. To date, some NOK 7 million in development costs- has been invested annually. These costs are shared by the project sponsors, comprising the Norwegian government and a number of oil companies. Continued development is not expected to be as costly and will focus more on handling other derivatives, such as gas and oil, and possibly being able to offer a material in other colors for customers who wish to customize their equipment using their own color schemes.
Trelleborg has developed a product, that can withstand a jet fire - the cause of the Piper Alpha disaster. The product is already in use on several platforms, primarily in the North Sea. To date, some NOK 7 million in development costs- has been invested annually. These costs are shared by the project sponsors, comprising the Norwegian government and a number of oil companies. Continued development is not expected to be as costly and will focus more on handling other derivatives, such as gas and oil, and possibly being able to offer a material in other colors for customers who wish to customize their equipment using their own color schemes.
See More
The answer is, it depends. For example, a traditional cleaner/degreaser, of which there are literally hundreds on the market, generally does an adequate job of cleaning. However – and this is an ongoing problem – the majority of them basically move the contamination from one location to another. The result? This cost of hydrocarbon removal is added to the clean-up process, plus your employees could be at risk of additional from toxins in the cleaner. So, how do you clean, provide a safe product for your employees and contribute to an active pollution prevention program?
The answer is, it depends. For example, a traditional cleaner/degreaser, of which there are literally hundreds on the market, generally does an adequate job of cleaning. However – and this is an ongoing problem – the majority of them basically move the contamination from one location to another. The result? This cost of hydrocarbon removal is added to the clean-up process, plus your employees could be at risk of additional from toxins in the cleaner. So, how do you clean, provide a safe product for your employees and contribute to an active pollution prevention program?
See More
About 80 percent of maintenance mistakes involve human factors (HF), according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The maintenance world has unique HF issues that are more severe and longer lasting than elsewhere in aviation. Operators are looking at various techniques to combat HF challenges.
About 80 percent of maintenance mistakes involve human factors (HF), according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The maintenance world has unique HF issues that are more severe and longer lasting than elsewhere in aviation. Operators are looking at various techniques to combat HF challenges.
See More
U.S. fire departments receive an estimated 42,800 reports of fires from industrial and manufacturing facilities each year, according to the NFPA. Fire prevention and emergency action plans are two tools to ensure employees know what to do before and after a fire alarm sounds.
U.S. fire departments receive an estimated 42,800 reports of fires from industrial and manufacturing facilities each year, according to the NFPA. Fire prevention and emergency action plans are two tools to ensure employees know what to do before and after a fire alarm sounds.
See More
Hour after hour, in businesses of all sizes, these workhorses respond to the men and women who operate them – by pounding, cutting, crushing, welding, stitching or whatever other task they were designed for, to fashion the products that will be marketed to hungry consumers. But there is a fearful downside to this scenario: the machine cannot distinguish between a piece of wood, steel or fabric and the operator’s body.
Hour after hour, in businesses of all sizes, these workhorses respond to the men and women who operate them – by pounding, cutting, crushing, welding, stitching or whatever other task they were designed for, to fashion the products that will be marketed to hungry consumers. But there is a fearful downside to this scenario: the machine cannot distinguish between a piece of wood, steel or fabric and the operator’s body.
See More
The issuance of safety eyewear to employees requires more than a handout. An important thing to remember when issuing safety eyewear is that in order to put your safety program into action, you need to communicate and educate your employees. Merely handing out free safety goggles and glasses and saying "wear these when you are working or else..." will only get you so far. Employees need to know why it is important to wear protective eyewear, and they need you to make it easy for them to do so effectively. It often helps to recite employee eye injury statistics to show workers the reality of the hazards around them, and give them a starting point for improvement.
The issuance of safety eyewear to employees requires more than a handout. An important thing to remember when issuing safety eyewear is that in order to put your safety program into action, you need to communicate and educate your employees. Merely handing out free safety goggles and glasses and saying "wear these when you are working or else..." will only get you so far. Employees need to know why it is important to wear protective eyewear, and they need you to make it easy for them to do so effectively. It often helps to recite employee eye injury statistics to show workers the reality of the hazards around them, and give them a starting point for improvement.
See More
