1. BLR’s Safety Training Presentations
Eye Protection 29 CFR
I. Background for the Trainer:
OSHA’s Personal Protective Equipment standard requires employers to conduct a hazard assessment and determine the appropriate PPE for the different types of work employees are expected to do. This includes an assessment for potential eye injury hazards.
The eye hazard assessment should be completed before conducting the training so that your company’s findings, new PPE policies, and recommendations can be discussed.
II. Speaker’s Notes:
An astounding number of eye injuries occur each year to people in the workplace and at home.
Most of these eye injuries could have been prevented through the use of proper eye protection.
In this class, we will discuss the potential eye hazards of this workplace and at home.
The company has evaluated potential workplace eye hazards and requires specific eye protection for certain jobs so that eye injuries can be prevented.
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2. A Split Second A steel chip flies from a metal lathe
A cracked chemical pump spurts caustic soda
The lawn mower spits out a pebble
A gust of wind carries dust and dirt
I. Speaker’s Notes:
An eye injury takes only a split second. You can’t predict when a steel chip, stream of chemical, or piece of dirt is headed straight toward your eye.
It’s important to wear eye protection every time you need it. That way, you’re always prepared and protected.
/0406 ã 2004 Business & Legal Reports, Inc.
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3. Goals Potential eye hazards Eye injury prevention Quiz
I. Speaker’s Notes:
First we will discuss all the potential areas and jobs, both at work and at home, that could cause injury to your eyes.
Then we will talk about preventing those injuries and discuss some basic emergency first aid.
Finally, we will wrap up the class with a short quiz.
/0406 ã 2004 Business & Legal Reports, Inc.
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4. Eye Injury Statistics
Each day, more than 1,000 workers suffer serious eye injuries
Each year, 77,000 eye injuries result in lost time
More than $450 million is spent in workers’ compensation costs annually because of eye injuries
I. Background for the Trainer:
Statistics listed on this slide can be referenced to Prevent Blindness America (
II. Speaker’s Notes:
Each day of the calendar year results in another 1,000 workers suffering a serious eye injury.
About 100,000 of these serious eye injuries result in temporary or permanent vision loss.
Approximately 77,000 of those eye injuries are severe enough that the injured worker misses at least 1 day of work.
Each year, the workers’ compensation costs, which include doctor visits and wage reimbursements for lost time, amount to more than $450 million.
With the proper hazard assessments, eye protection, and training, these numbers can be dramatically reduced.
/0406 ã 2004 Business & Legal Reports, Inc.
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5. Eye Hazard Assessment Flying chips Harmful dust particles
Chemical splashing or spraying
High-intensity heat or light
Welding, brazing, torch cutting
I. Background for the Trainer:
Note that your eye hazard assessment (part of your overall PPE hazard assessment) should discuss specific workplace eye hazards and the specific eye protection that will be used.
II. Speaker’s Notes:
These are some of the primary causes of eye injuries. We will take the time to focus on each type of eye hazard and the proper protective equipment for each hazard. We will also discuss the specific hazards in our workplace that fall under the above hazards.
Can you think of any other potential eye hazards that might be specific to our workplace?
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6. Flying Particles
70% of serious eye injuries are caused by flying or falling objects
60% of those objects are smaller than the head of a pin
I. Speaker’s Notes:
These numbers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, indicate that we should focus our hazard assessment on preventing eye injuries from flying or falling objects.
Because more than half of these flying or falling objects are extremely small (e.g., dust), we also need to be concerned about dust hazards.
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7. Impact Hazard
Flying objects, fragments, large chips, particles, sand, dirt
Chipping, grinding, masonry work, woodworking, sawing, drilling, chiseling, riveting, sanding
Appropriate PPE
Glasses with side protection
Goggles
Face shield for severe exposure
I. Background for the Trainer:
In addition to requiring appropriate eye protection, equipment such as lathes, mills, grinders, etc., should be inspected for proper guarding. When possible, install guards that catch flying particles to protect operators and nearby workers.
II. Speaker’s Notes:
In the photo on the slide, which worker is not wearing the proper eye protection? The worker on the right.
Let’s start with larger objects that create an impact hazard. Flying objects, fragments, large chips, particles, sand, and dirt are all examples of impact hazards. Can anyone name some other flying objects specific to our facility that could get into your eyes?
Jobs or work processes that might create some of these flying objects include chipping, grinding, masonry work, woodworking, sawing, drilling, chiseling, riveting, and sanding. Can anyone name some jobs or work processes at our facility that could contribute to flying objects, chips, etc.? Are there activities that you do at home that could create flying objects?
If we are going to talk about the hazards, we also have to discuss how to protect our eyes. For most jobs, approved safety glasses with side protection are adequate to protect against flying objects.
For jobs with large numbers of flying objects, goggles would be required. Wear a face shield over the goggles if your face needs protection from the flying objects.
/0406 © 2004 Business and Legal Reports, Inc

8. Dust Hazards Falling objects, wood dust, foam dust, soot
Woodworking, buffing, cleaning
Appropriate PPE
Goggles
I. Background for the Trainer:
In addition to requiring eye protection, also investigate ways of containing the dust particles with cyclones or dust bags.
II. Speaker’s Notes:
Dusts usually include items that do not fly at you; rather, they will usually float around or slowly fall toward the ground. Often dust can get in your eyes by your just walking through an area with a dust hazard. Besides wood dust, foam dust, and soot, can anyone name some specific dustlike items from our facility that could get in your eyes?
Jobs or work processes that create dust hazards include woodworking, buffing materials, and cleaning with air wands or brooms. Can anyone name specific jobs at our facility that can create dust hazards?
Because dust can easily float behind normal safety glasses and still get in your eyes, goggles or some type of safety glasses that create a seal around the eyes are required. The more hazardous the dust, the tighter to the face the safety eyewear needs to be.
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9. Chemical Hazards Acids, caustics, solvents Splash Mist Appropriate PPE
Face shield for severe exposure
Goggles
I. Background for the Trainer:
In addition to requiring the use of eye protection, evaluate engineering controls that might reduce worker exposure to chemical splashes or spraying. Splash guards or automatic controls will keep the operator away from potential exposures.
II. Speaker’s Notes:
Most companies use chemicals in some form. All chemicals can cause injury if they contact your eyes. Acids and caustics will severely burn your eyes. Degreasing chemicals, such as solvents, can damage your eyes in any number of ways, depending on the type of solvent.
Name the different chemicals and work processes used in our facility that are potential eye hazards.
Even products at home, such as spray paints and cleaners, can damage our eyes.
If you are working with any liquid chemical that could potentially splash onto your face and eyes, you must wear chemical-resistant goggles, at a minimum. If working with dangerous chemicals such as acids, or in situations with severe exposure, you must wear a face shield over your goggles.
Anytime you work with a chemical that is misted or sprayed, you must, at a minimum, wear chemical-resistant goggles.
/0406 © 2004 Business and Legal Reports, Inc

10. Heat Hazards Furnace operations, pouring or casting molten metals
High-temperature exposure
Screen or reflective face shield
Molten metals
Face shield worn over goggles
Hot sparks
Glasses, goggles, face shield for severe exposure
I. Background for the Trainer:
If your facility has any of these potential exposure hazards, be sure to stress the importance of eye protection in these areas. Often, because the work is already hot, workers are reluctant to wear protective eyewear because it makes them even hotter.
II. Speaker’s Notes:
Working with high temperatures can also be very damaging to the eyes. Some examples include operating a furnace or working with molten metals.
When working with high temperatures that do not pose a threat of splashing hot materials or flying hot sparks, such as working with a furnace, wear a protective screen or a reflective face shield that will keep the extreme heat away from your eyes.
When working with hot molten metals that could potentially splash into your eyes, wear goggles with a face shield over the goggles.
When working with hot sparks, safety glasses are sufficient. However, if exposure to hot sparks increases, goggles must be worn, and if the exposure becomes severe, a face shield must be worn over the goggles.
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11. Welding Eye Hazards Welder’s flash
Skin or eyes burned from heat or light
Flying sparks
Metal fragments or slag
I. Speaker’s Notes:
Welding, brazing, and torch cutting present a number of potential eye hazards. Welder’s flash occurs when the eyes are overexposed to the intense lights of welding operations. This often occurs when welders strike the arc a split second before dropping their face shield or hood over their eyes.
The skin or eyes can be burned from the heat or intense light created when welding, brazing, or cutting.
Flying sparks could enter and damage the eye.
Metal fragments or slag could enter the eye, particularly when welding overhead.
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12. Welding Eye Protection
Electric arc welding
Welding helmet or face shield
Gas arc welding
Protective goggles or safety glasses underneath
Welding goggles or welding face shield
Protective filter lens requirements
I. Background for the Trainer:
OSHA 29 CFR (a)(5) has specific filter lens requirements that take into consideration the arc current, electrode size, and plate thickness when determining the proper lens for each type of welding job.
Monitor your welders to be sure they are using the appropriate lenses and also wearing safety glasses or goggles under their face shields and helmets.
II. Speaker’s Notes:
Electric arc welding requires the use of an approved welding helmet or face shield. Of course, you will need to wear protective goggles or safety glasses under the helmet or face shield.
Gas arc welding requires the use of welding goggles or a welding face shield with protective glasses or goggles under the face shield.
Protective filter lens requirements vary with the type of welding that is being conducted. OSHA has prescribed the minimum protective filter lens requirements, which are summarized below:
• Shielded metal arc welding: 7–11
• Gas metal arc welding and flux cored arc welding: 7-10
• Gas tungsten arc welding: 8-10
• Air carbon arc cutting:
• Plasma arc welding: 6-11
• Plasma arc cutting: 8-10
Remember, shaded or tinted sunglasses are not filter lenses and are not adequate for welding.
In summary, always wear the darkest shade that still allows you to see the weld zone.
/0406 ã 2004 Business & Legal Reports, Inc.
Torch brazing: 3
Torch soldering: 2
Carbon arc welding: 14
Gas welding: 4-6
Oxygen cutting: 3-5
/0406 © 2004 Business and Legal Reports, Inc

13. Eye Injuries at Home
41% of all eye injuries occur in or around the home
Woodworking
Lawn care
Using chemicals
I. Speaker’s Notes:
According to Prevent Blindness America, 41 percent of all eye injuries occur away from the workplace. These injuries could be avoided if the proper protective eyewear is worn.
Some obvious home situations where protective eyewear should be worn include woodworking, lawn care, and chemical use.
Name some other situations in which protective eyewear should be worn at home.
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14. Goals Potential eye hazards Eye injury prevention Quiz
I. Speaker’s Notes:
Are there any questions concerning the potential hazards to our eyes both at work and at home?
Let’s talk about preventing eye injuries and discuss basic emergency first aid.
/0406 ã 2004 Business & Legal Reports, Inc.
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15. Eye Injury Prevention
90% of occupational eye injuries could have been avoided with proper protective eyewear
Many injured workers believed protective eyewear was not necessary in their particular situation
I. Speaker’s Notes:
The statistics on this slide come right from OSHA. Note the use of the word “proper.” These people may have been using eyewear and thought they were adequately protected. Obviously they were not.
OSHA also found that many of the injured workers did not think that protective eyewear was necessary in their particular work situation.
This is exactly why our company has conducted a hazard assessment in order to determine the potential eye hazards of our workplace.
It is also the reason we went through the exercise earlier and discussed specific eye hazards in our workplace.
We want to make sure that all employees know when wearing eye protection is necessary and what type of eye protection should be worn for each potentially hazardous situation.
/0406 ã 2004 Business & Legal Reports, Inc.
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16. Eyewear Standards Comply with ANSI Z87.1
Eye protection equipment will be marked with Z87
Sunglasses or prescription glasses usually do not meet the standard
I. Speaker’s Notes:
The American National Standards Institute has developed manufacturing standards for eye protection. Meeting this standard ensures that the eye protection equipment has met certain impact, shatter, and chemical-resistant standards, etc.
Look at your safety glasses, goggles, or face shield. They must be marked with “Z87” to indicate that they meet the standard.
Normal sunglasses or prescription glasses will not meet this standard. These could potentially shatter or break if impacted by a flying object and cause additional eye injury.
/0406 © 2004 Business and Legal Reports, Inc

17. Choosing Eye Protection
Quality
Fit and comfort
Lens options
I. Background for the Trainer:
Consider having a selection of eyewear for employees to evaluate and try on. Some safety vendors will lend a company a selection of eyewear to try out.
Protective eyewear must fit well to protect properly and be comfortable. Improper fit will not provide the required protection, and, if uncomfortable, employees will continually remove them to make adjustments or not wear them at all. Remember, employees have different face shapes and sizes, so make a number of brands, styles, and sizes available for employees to use.
II. Speaker’s Notes:
Choosing and selecting the right protective eyewear for the type of job and each person is very important.
Once the type of protection (e.g., safety glasses, goggles, face shield) has been selected to protect against the identified hazard, you will want to find equipment that is appropriate to each person working with the identified hazard.
Quality eyewear should be selected because it will last longer and protect better.
Be sure your eyewear fits well. Without a good fit, the eyewear can’t protect you properly.
Lens options include antifog, antiglare, indoor/outdoor lenses, and different colors or shades. Your supervisor will choose the appropriate lens for each job.
/0406 © 2004 Business and Legal Reports, Inc

18. Eyewear Maintenance Cleaning stations Holders or cases
Issue new when necessary
I. Background for the Trainer:
Make sure your employees have access to eyewear cleaning stations or sinks with mild soap and water.
Have an easy-to-understand policy for replacing damaged eyewear.
II. Speaker’s Notes:
Cleaning stations are located in the facility. They consist of a squirt bottle of cleaning solution and some lint-free paper towels. Use them frequently. You can also use mild soap and water to clean protective eyewear.
Most quality safety glasses or goggles come with holders or cases that should be used to protect the eyewear when not in use.
When the lenses become scratched or cracked, they are no longer safe. Many of today’s safety glasses have removable lenses that can be replaced easily instead of discarding the whole frame and lens.
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19. Eyewear Inspection Cracked lens Scratched lens Loose frames
I. Speaker’s Notes:
Inspect your protective eyewear each day before use.
Look for cracked lenses or face shields. Scratched lenses or face shields should be replaced when they impair vision.
Check for loose frames, nose pieces, etc.
Make sure the eye protection fits properly and has not been damaged in a way that prevents a proper fit.
/0406 ã 2004 Business & Legal Reports, Inc.
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20. Prescription Eyewear
Contact lenses are not recommended for many work environments
Prescription safety glasses are available
Overglasses or partial face shields serve as additional barriers
I. Background for the Trainer:
Find out if your company has a program that helps employees pay for prescription safety glasses.
II. Speaker’s Notes:
Contact lenses are not recommended for many work environments. Dust might get between the lens and the eye. Chemicals could get between the contact lens and the eye, and the lens might prohibit the eye from being properly flushed at the eyewash station. A chemical might even melt the lens onto the eye.
Prescription safety glasses can be obtained. These glasses will meet the Z87 standard and meet your prescription requirements.
Other options to prescription safety glasses include additional protective eyewear that is worn over normal prescription glasses. These include overglasses, goggles, or partial face shields.
/0406 ã 2004 Business & Legal Reports, Inc.
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21. Eyewash Stations Chemical splashes require immediate first aid
10 feet or 10 seconds
Training in the use of the eyewash station
Flush eyes for 15 minutes
I. Background for the Trainer:
29 CFR discusses the requirements of eyewash stations.
The eyewash stations must be inspected and checked periodically to ensure that they are working properly. They must also be protected from freezing so that they will be functional in cold weather. While it is not required to document these inspections, it would be a good idea so that you can prove that the inspections are being conducted on a regular basis.
II. Speaker’s Notes:
OSHA requires the installation of emergency eyewash stations in areas that use large quantities of hazardous chemicals, particularly corrosives, which might be splashed or sprayed into the eyes.
These eyewash stations are forms of immediate first aid, which can make the difference between permanent blindness and a temporary injury.
Eyewash stations must be located within 10 feet or 10 seconds’ travel time of a work process that uses hazardous chemicals that could be splashed or sprayed into the eyes.
You will be trained separately on how to activate the water flow, get to the station while blinded, and use the station. Always flush your eyes for at least 15 minutes after eye exposure to a harmful chemical.
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22. Goals Potential eye hazards Eye injury prevention Quiz
I. Speaker’s Notes:
Are there any questions concerning eye injury prevention?
Let’s wrap this session up with a summary and a quiz.
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23. Summary Assess eye hazards Select appropriate protective eyewear
Wear your eye protection
Don’t become an eye injury statistic
I. Speaker’s Notes:
Continually assess the work you are doing for potential eye hazards. Whether on the job or at home, ask yourself if your current activity has a potential for eye injury from flying particles, chemicals, heat, etc.
Select the right eye protection. Remember, face shields are for extra protection and are worn over safety glasses or goggles. Face shields are not worn in place of safety glasses or goggles.
Finally, always wear necessary eye protection—all it takes is a split second for an eye injury to occur.
We do not want you to be one of those 1,000 serious eye injuries every day. Nor do we want you to be one of the 41 percent that suffer an eye injury away from the workplace.
/0406 © 2004 Business and Legal Reports, Inc

24. Quiz
1. What hazard causes about 70 percent of the serious eye injuries?_____________________________________.
2. Eyewear that meets safety standards is marked with________________________________________.
3. Eyes splashed with a chemical must be immediately flushed with water for about 15 minutes. True or False
4. Your employer must conduct an eye hazard assessment. True or False
5. What kind of eyewear is required for minimum protection against flying objects? ________________ ___________________________________________.
I. Background for the Trainer:
Remind employees that the quiz is to encourage further discussion and to help ensure that everyone understands what was discussed.
/0406 © 2004 Business and Legal Reports, Inc

25. Quiz (cont.)
6. Dark sunglasses will provide adequate protection for welding projects that do not create a very intense light. True or False
7. Describe the type of eyewear necessary for working with large amounts of acids or caustics: __________________________________________.
8. Describe two scenarios at your home where eye protection should be worn: __________________________________________.
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26. Quiz (cont.)
9. OSHA says that only a few eye injuries could have been prevented with proper safety eyewear. True or False
10. Besides quality and style, name an important component in the selection of safety eyewear. ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________.
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27. Quiz Answers
1. Flying or falling objects cause about 70 percent of the serious eye injuries.
2. “Z87” indicates that the eyewear meets safety standards.
3. True. If splashed with a chemical, flush your eyes for at least 15 minutes.
4. True. According to OSHA, employers must conduct a hazard assessment, select appropriate eye protection, and provide training.
5. Safety glasses with side protection are required to protect against flying objects.
/0406 © 2004 Business and Legal Reports, Inc

28. Quiz Answers (cont.)
6. False. Welding projects require a lens that filters light. Shaded or tinted glasses are not adequate protection.
7. Goggles and a face shield must be worn to protect against corrosives.
8. Answers will vary
9. False. OSHA says that 90 percent of workplace eye injuries could have been prevented if the proper eye protection was worn.
10. Fit and comfort are probably the most important components in eyewear selection.
/0406 © 2004 Business and Legal Reports, Inc