by Brianna Crandall — March 2, 2016—Because March is Workplace Eye Wellness Month, the National Service Alliance (NSA), a group purchasing organization for the professional cleaning industry, is releasing the suggestions below to help contract cleaners and custodial workers protect their vision.
Custodial workers rank “above average” when it comes to job-related injuries, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, and this includes eye injuries.
“While a chemical splash can burn the eye, causing one of the most serious forms of eye injuries, it certainly is not the only type of hazard impacting the eyes of custodial workers,” says Tobi Colbert, business development manager at the NSA.
“Very often eye injuries are the result of small airborne particles or objects striking the eye, such as metal slivers, dust, even staples and nails.”
Because of this, Colbert says custodial workers should wear eye protection at all times. Among her other suggestions for eye safety are the following:
- All cleaning contractors should install an emergency eye-drenching and flushing center in the facilities they maintain. (Portable units are available; in some cases, an eye wash is required by OSHA.)
- The emergency eye care center should be easily accessible and take no more than 10 seconds to reach.
- Workers should try on different goggles to test for comfort. Goggles should fit comfortably, stay in place, and have side protection.
- If more protection is needed, especially when working with chemicals, a face shield should be worn over the goggles.
- Workers should wear goggles with “indirect” venting to protect from chemical splashes. (Indirect vent goggles have constricted vents so that liquids do not have a path into the eye; direct vent goggles have vents around the side of the goggle.)
- Eye gear with an anti-fog coating should be selected. “If the goggles fog up, the worker may take them off and forget to put them back on. This becomes an accident just waiting to happen.”
“Cleaning contractors should also know there are ANSI standards for protective eye gear,” adds Colbert. “They have been tested and certified to help protect worker’s eyes.”
