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Eye-affecting accidents are quite common, whether they involve construction or working with chemical products. Often, these incidents are the result of poor eye protection. If such an accident affects the cornea, the risk of partially or completely losing one’s eyesight is high. It is therefore crucial to understand the possible dangers and know how to protect yourself adequately.
Below you will find information provided by our security eyewear specialists to help guide you given the potential risks.
Mechanical Risks
Tools and sharp objects could represent danger for one’s eyes, because they could scratch or pierce the cornea.
Do not underestimate shavings, fragments, particles, sand grains, and dust, which could be suspended in the air during sawing, shredding, and grinding; these small particles can be dispersed widely by wind, especially in dusty environments.
These foreign bodies could possibly cause a corneal abrasion or an eye contusion once they have lodged themselves in the cornea and, in some serious cases, pierce it. Damage to the external surface of the eye, ranging from minor scratches to severe abrasions, is more common than you think and can happen to any negligent handyman, even the most informed.
Chemical Risks
The eye’s mucus is very sensitive to the chemical products we find in the workplace as well as to the solvents we find in everyday cleaning products at home.
Among the most commonly found harmful products are acid and alkaline solutions, strong solvents, and cleaning agents. Just a splash of bleach, detergent, or any deplugging liquid can have irreversible consequences if the product contacts the eye.
In the workplace, the dangers of exposure even to droplets, fumes, or vapour coming from a chemical product may be enough to do serious damage.
Physical and Heat Risks
Our eyes are also very sensitive to certain beams of light or heat; once our eyes are exposed to an intense light or to high temperature, they could cause immediate or cumulative burns. The causes of eye burns are most common in the professional milieu, and they are numerous: flames, stoves, blowtorches, molten metal, or even sparks.
Lighting, laser beams, UV rays and infrared can also represent possible dangers. Even simple sunlight can create glare due its intensity and shifts in luminosity if, for instance, activities require that one go from indoors to outdoors. Protecting oneself at all times is necessary to reduce the risk of developing long-term vision problems, such as cataracts.
You can find all the information you need about protection against harmful light in one of our articles here.
What kind of equipment can protect you?
In order to properly protect your eyes, different solutions are available for different needs:
- Security glasses with side shields;
- Protective masks (with panoramic lenses);
- Face shields;
- Tinted glasses with anti-reflective coating.
In the case of an eye accident or of exposure to a dangerous substance, the first 10 to 15 seconds are critical, especially when dealing with a corrosive substance. Each second counts: you must be able to react fast to prevent serious injury.
Emergency eyewash and face wash stations provide decontamination on the premises of the incident. They permit their users to use plenty of water in order to rinse away dangerous substances which are likely to cause damage.
Securo Vision has solutions designed to meet your needs and protect your eyes at all times, no matter the kind of risks you face in everyday life, work, or other activities.