In Wisconsin and other areas across the United States, thousands of hard-working employees sustain injuries in their lines of work. A sliver of these injuries affects the eyes, arguably the most important sensory organ in the human body. Although humans can’t always avoid mistakes, all Wisconsin workers can take preventative measures to reduce the likelihood of eye injuries.
Different types of protective eyewear
Admittedly, accidents don’t happen very often. Most employees work months, if not years, at a time without suffering injuries. This makes workers feel better about not wearing protective eyewear.
Even if you don’t think you’ll suffer an eye injury, you should always wear protective eyewear in the workplace. In general, employers use five different types of eyewear as personal protective equipment.
General safety glasses, the most common type of protective eyewear, keep small objects from flying into workers’ eyes. They should have side shields for further protection.
Workers wear impact goggles for further protection against flying debris. These often have holes for ventilation, which can open workers to chemical splashes. Chemical-splash goggles have rubber fittings to keep eyes protected from liquid and gaseous irritants.
Laboratory workers typically wear laser safety glasses to prevent permanent eye damage from powerful lights. Face shields, the last type of protective eyewear, keep workers safe from corrosive chemicals.
Eye injuries could lead to lawsuits
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, roughly 2,000 American workers suffer eye injuries bad enough to need medical treatment every year. About 5% of these injuries put employees out of work for at least one day.
Employees who suffer severe injuries at work can file for workers’ compensation. Typically, recipients get two-thirds of their weekly pay through workers’ compensation. Unfortunately, employees don’t always get approval for their claims.
Skilled attorneys who primarily deal with workers’ compensation claims can improve workers’ chances of approval. Although workers should always try to protect their eyes from debris, chemicals and irritants, hiring an attorney is a great backup plan should you find yourself injured.
