FRANK MCCLANAHAN
Civilian Injury Prevention Directorate
U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center
Fort Rucker, Alabama
It’s easy to take for granted the things in our lives we depend on every day and yet give very little thought. Imagine for a moment if you could never see the faces of your spouse or children again. You could never watch a snowfall in the winter or see the sun setting over the ocean on a warm summer evening. What would it be like if you couldn’t watch your favorite sports team or television programs or read the morning newspaper or a best-selling novel by your favorite author? Most of us don’t give much thought to the significance of such a loss, yet catastrophic eye injuries occur in the workplace every day.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration website, thousands of individuals are blinded each year by work-related eye injuries. These injuries result in more than $300 million annually in lost production, medical expenses and worker’s compensation. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health points out on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website that most workplace eye injuries are caused by small pieces of wood, metal or cement striking or abrading the eye. Objects that penetrate the eyes can result in permanent blindness.
Federal law mandates employers provide their workers a safe and healthful work environment. As such, employers must conduct workplace assessments to identify hazards where eye and face protection are needed. OSHA describes the common types of workplace hazards as heat, chemicals, dust and optical radiation. Once the employer identifies any of these hazards during an assessment, consideration must be given to the risk of exposure, the potential for multiple exposures and determining the highest level of required protection. The first course of action is to engineer out the identified hazard, including using shields and guards if possible. If this solution isn’t possible, the employer must provide the appropriate eye or face protection and employee training.
Employees who wear prescription eyewear also must wear eye protection. Eye protection that fits comfortably over prescription eyewear is available, as are safety goggles and spectacles incorporating prescription lenses. Eye and face protection issued to employees must comply with the American National Standards Institute’s ANSI Z-87.1 1989 standard if purchased after July 5, 1994, or ANSI Z87.1-1968 if purchased before July 5, 1994.
OSHA Standard 1910.132(f) requires employers train employees to know when protection is necessary, along with what type is needed and how it should be worn. Employees also must learn proper care, useful life and proper disposal of their protective equipment. That training, which should be presented in a manner easily understood by employees, must be provided by a knowledgeable person. Employees who receive training must demonstrate how to properly use their protective equipment before working in an area where it’s required. Training must be certified for each employee and include documentation containing the employee’s training date and certification subject.
While the consequences described above are severe and not all eye injuries result in total blindness, eyesight is a precious gift that must be protected. Employers must make every effort to protect their workers and ensure appropriate information and necessary resources are available to eliminate workplace eye injuries.
Did You Know?
According to the American National Standards Institute, workplace eye injuries are a leading cause of eye trauma, vision loss and blindness. An estimated 2,000 eye injuries occur in the workplace every day, but according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, nearly 90 percent of all eye injuries could’ve been prevented by using the right kind of protective eyewear.
Hit the Showers
LT. CMDR. BRIAN ENGESSER, USN, OD
Tri-Service Vision Conservation and Readiness Program
U.S. Army Public Health Center (Provisional)
Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland
Many employees that work in lab or industrial environments are at an increased risk of injury from airborne irritants and foreign objects. Emergency eyewashes and showers serve as a means to provide immediate care to flush the eyes and body to provide relief. It is recommended all employees be trained on eyewash and shower locations and their operation. ANSI/ISEA Z358.1 – 2014 provides standards for this equipment in the workspace and may be used as a reference to ensure proper setup.
Common requirements for eyewashes and showers
Emergency eyewash stations and showers must be easily accessible when needed. Pathways to the emergency stations should remain free of any obstructions that could cause additional injury to an employee rushing to the station with compromised vision. The location for the stations should be accessible within 10 seconds from any point in the workspace and marked with visible signage in a well-lit surrounding area.
The water quality must be potable or preserved, depending on if it is a plumbed or portable station. Weekly checks must be completed on plumbed systems to prevent the build-up of sediment in the water lines and minimize the risk of microbial contamination due to stagnant water. The duration of the check is dependent on the volume of stagnant water in the line. Annual checks should be completed by safety department personnel to ensure requirements are met.
Once activated, both eyewashes and showers should operate hands-free with a continuous flow of water. The water temperature should be tepid in the range between 60 and 100 F.
Specific requirements for emergency eyewashes
Upon activation, an eyewash station should be calibrated to provide a continuous flow of flushing fluid to both eyes simultaneously. A testing gauge described in ANSI/ISEA Z358.1 – 2014 may be used to easily verify the height of the streams. The gauge should contact the peak of the flushing fluid at some point less than 20.3 cm (8 inches).
The eyewash nozzle heads should remain covered when not in use to minimize the risk of hazards from airborne contaminants. Nozzle covers should not require a separate motion to remove by the operator when activated. Flushing fluid from the eyewash must able to provide a minimum of 1.5 liters per min (0.4 gallons per minute) for 15 minutes. If a self-contained eyewash station is used, it must meet the same standards as plumbed eyewashes for activation, duration, fluid volume and height of flushing fluid flow. The self-contained eyewashes need to be visually checked weekly to identify if fluid needs to be changed or replenished. Personal portable eyewash units may be used in workplaces to provide immediate care but do not serve as a replacement for plumbed or self-contained eyewash units.
Specific requirements for emergency showers
In addition to the common requirements stated above, emergency showers must be capable of providing a minimum of 75.7 liters per minute (20 gallons per minute) for 15 minutes. Additionally, the shower head should be installed such that the flushing fluid column is at least 208.3 cm (82 inches) in height but not more than 243.8 cm (96 inches). Although the responsibility to meet the stated requirements above falls upon the workspace supervisors, it is recommended all workspace employees familiarize themselves with the requirements to help ensure a safe workspace for everyone.
Editor’s note: This article was originally featured in the Tri-Service Conservation and Readiness Program’s newsletter, VC&R Quarterly, in January 2016 and is republished with permission.