Eye Protection
Updated: Dec 20, 2021

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