Eye Protection Should Be Part of Your Onsite Medical Services Program

Eye Protection Should Be Part of Your Onsite Medical Services Program. Prevent Blindness, a Chicago-based volunteer eye health and safety organization recently reported that 2,000 workers per day experience a job-related eye injury that requires medical attention.  There are so many different type of eye injuries and they can come from so many different activities that preventive measures should be in place for protection. The National Safety Council (NSC) recommends the following eye protections:

• Spectacles – Semi/flat-folded sideshield. Provides primary protection against impact and optical radiation. Sideshield spectacles are recommended.
• Goggles – There are many different kinds of goggles that vary in appearance and protection.
• Face Shield – Plastic or mesh window. Designed to protect the whole face; must be supplemented with safety glasses.
• Welding Helmet – Stationary window or lift-front window. Protects from welding, soldering and brazing. Must be supplemented with safety glasses.

The NSC lists the following as top workplace eye injuries:

Chemical Splash 

Flying Particles

Radiation Injuries, Burns 

Blows to the Eyes 

Eyestrain 

Learn more about eye injury protection and construction onsite medical services at safesitemedical.com.

The Most Common Construction Site Accidents

As you've read in our recent Safe Site Medical blog post titled Fatal Occupational Injuries Rose in 2015 Urging Use of Pre-Emptive On-site Medical Services and Safety Trainings that construction is a very hazardous industry.  Having a rapid on-site medical services team on the job site can help treat injuries quicker and save time and money.

Per the Rybak Firm these are most common construction site accidents:

• Falls: Falls are consistently one of the most common causes of injury at construction sites throughout the United States. Some of the most common places from which workers fall are from scaffolding, ladders, roofs, and cranes.
• Falling Objects: Construction workers are at risk from falling objects, particularly tools or pieces of machinery that are dropped from above. Workers who are struck in the head by falling objects face potentially severe brain and spinal injuries.
• Equipment: Most construction sites utilize heavy machinery to get the job done, which increases the risks that workers will be injured by it. Some of the most common equipment-related injuries are caused by forklifts, dumpsters, and nail guns.
• Backovers and crushed-betweens: Unfortunately, construction workers are at risk from being run over by large trucks backing out of construction sites or being crushed in between large vehicles and walls.
• Fires and explosions: If a construction site contains hazardous materials or exposed wiring (and most of them do), construction workers are at risk of being injured in a fire or an explosion.
• Building or trench collapses: Construction workers who are working in buildings that are being demolished or are under construction are at risk from building collapse. Serious injury can also occur when a trench that’s being built collapses on the workers inside it.
• Respiratory diseases: Construction workers are particularly at risk from a condition known as pneumoconiosis, which is a chronic disease of the lungs that is caused from working for many years in dusty environments.

Is your construction site safe?  Learn more about Safe Site Medical On-site Medical Services for large-scale construction projects.