Don't be shortsighted – here are ways to help see the future clearer
To see the future, workers must protect their vision.
“Our eyes are one of our most precious commodities,” said Wanda Sanchez-Miller, an eye safety expert and senior product marketing manager.
Businesses must prevent eye injuries to avoid costly risks, including lawsuits, worker’s compensation payments and potentially losing permission to operate, Wanda said.
But protective eyewear can’t prevent injuries if workers forget to wear it.
That’s why keeping vision safe must become a habit.
Here are five tips to help workers remember to wear their glasses.
Keeping everything together in one place can help workers remember their eyewear. If the safety glasses are next to their hard hat, harness, boots or other equipment they need to perform a job, then workers have a better chance of remembering the eyewear.
Wearing glasses during breaks can help. Removing glasses during a break could cause workers to forget to put them back on when they go back to work. That danger can be avoided by not removing glasses in the first place as long as workers do not need to remove them.
Gone are the days of one-size-doesn’t-really-fit-all safety glasses. Many Uvex glasses have adjustability features such as frames so they fit on a variety of face shapes and sizes. Comfortable glasses can reduce the urge to take off glasses. Other features like anti-fog coatings, for example Uvex Hydroshield AF, also help prevent workers from needing to remove their glasses for cleaning due to fogging.
Whether it is reading signs or listening to safety directors and peers, workers should heed reminders to wear eye protection.
Positive reinforcement could be one way to help workers prioritise safety protocols, Wanda said. Incentives could be provided for time periods without dangerous incidents. Rewards for those safe days could range from a pizza party to an extra day off work to cash, she said.
