SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2023 11
A SUPPLEMENT TO THE FREE PRESS
PROTECTIVE EYEWEAR AN ESSENTIAL SAFETY STEP AT HOME
H aving the ability to see is a blessing. When we are at work, we typically follow a set of rules that outline how we should be protecting this vital sense. However, when we are working in the comfort of our own home, we often go for convenience and forget about the important role of personal protection equipment. As a result, we put our eyesight at risk. The best approach is to control for hazards, but when risks can’t be eliminated we must use protective equipment, such as safety goggles. The tasks at hand may be smaller in size, but still carry a measure of risk. Some of the tasks for which we should use eye protection at home are: • Trimming weeds with handheld equipment • House cleaning with household or toxic chemicals • Painting • Using a leaf-blower to clean loose and light debris that can become air- borne • Cutting pieces of wood or lumber • Handling brush • Using an angle grinder • Doing work around or under a vehicle It is common to adopt the mentality in the comfort of your own home that it is less likely to become injured. Incidents do happen, but for the most part they can be prevented. What is the safety plan should something happen? Who will drive you to a medical facility if something were to get in your eye(s)?
MHCA WORKSAFELY® Advisor Randy Olynick says protective equipment at home “is not used as often as it should” and notes “it only takes a bit of dust” for something harmful to happen to your eye. The best way to protect your eyes from incident is to use a safety certified pair of eye protection. To confirm that your safety eyewear is certified, look for the CSA (Canadian Standards Association) label on the package and on the eyewear itself. These glasses offer impact resistant lenses. It is important to note that safety eyewear is not one size fits all. Safety eyewear comes in a few different shades and with different styles of frames for a better fit for your face shape. There is also different safety eyewear for different tasks, such as: chemicals, laser radiation, molten materials, flying objects, dust and wind, etc. If you wear prescription glasses, you fit a pair of safety eyewear over top. There is also the option of going to your optometrist to discuss options to fit your needs. It is tempting to jump right into a task, especially the small ones we think will only take a second. However, it only takes a second for an incident to happen. So, let’s stop and reassess before we end up with a recipe for disaster. Take the time to ask ourselves questions as to how to get the task at hand done safely, such as, which type of task you are doing and which type of glasses you will need to protect your blessing, your eye sight.
Andrea Guimond is a WORKSAFELY® advisor at MHCA
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2023-09-20 8:34 AM
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