PROTECTING EYES & EARS
Unfortunately, it is all too common to see workers wearing these items on their heads, rather than on their faces, leaving them potentially exposed. One of the main reasons for non-compliance with safety eyewear requirements is poor fit. If workers find their eye protection uncomfortably tight, they are more likely to remove it.
“COMPANIES ARE INCREASINGLY
IMPLEMENTING MANDATORY EYE PROTECTION POLICIES.”
On the other hand, safety eyewear that is too loose is liable to slip down the wearer’s nose, not only exposing the eyes but also requiring frequent adjustment. Some wearers will find this to be such a nuisance that they will end up removing the eye protection altogether.
One solution to this problem is for companies to stock a variety of frames to suit all head shapes and sizes. However, this can be a burden in terms of storage and stock management.
EYESIGHT INSIGHT
George Elliott, a technical
specialist at science-based technology company 3M,
discusses the barriers to achieving safety eyewear compliance, along with ways of overcoming them
Across various industries, safety eyewear is required to help protect employees against chemicals, dusts, projectiles, light radiation, or some combination of these hazards. Without correct eye protection, workers in certain environments may be at risk of anything from burns and irritation to corneal damage and blindness.
Between 2013/14 and 2015/16, some 131 workplace injuries resulting in loss or reduction of sight were logged in Great Britain under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). In an effort to prevent such incidents from occurring, companies are increasingly implementing mandatory eye protection policies, requiring employees to wear safety spectacles, goggles or full face shields.
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An alternative solution is for companies to invest in safety eyewear with adjustable or ‘self-adjusting’ features. Another common reason for employees removing their protective eyewear is lens fogging, which is caused by vapour – often the wearer’s breath – condensing on the comparatively cool lenses. It may seem that the primary risk associated with lens fogging is that it can prevent the worker from seeing properly. While this can indeed pose a risk, often the bigger issue is that workers will remove their safety eyewear in order to wipe away fog, leaving them exposed to hazards.
In 2009, a study published in Accident Analysis and Prevention magazine highlighted this issue by interviewing focus groups from various industries. All the groups identified fogging as the main vision-related issue they faced, and said it was a key barrier to PPE compliance. More than 55% of respondents said an anti-fog solution would therefore be useful for increasing the use of protective eyewear.
Eyewear with a superior anti-fog coating can indeed help greatly to reduce lens fogging, thereby helping to increase the rate of PPE compliance. Of course, there are several other things to consider as part of the safety eyewear selection process, besides comfort and compliance issues.
As well as being suitable for the individual, all PPE must be adequate to protect against the hazard being faced. Wearers must also be given proper training on everything from when and why the protection is required, and how it should be worn, to correct maintenance and storage techniques.
www.3M.co.uk/safety www.tomorrowshs.com
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