Construction workers in New Jersey and other states suffer from a lot of eye injuries. In fact, the construction industry in general has more eye injuries than any other U.S. workforce. However, many construction-related eye injuries can be avoided when proper eye protection is worn.
Eye protection is essential
The first way to protect your eyes on a construction site is to keep your eye protection on at all times. While some safety glasses are much better than others, any eye protection will be better than none when objects start flying at your face.
If you already wear prescription eyeglasses, you probably still need to wear something over them to prevent flying objects from entering through the sides of your glasses. Prescription safety glasses can fill in the open gaps, and they should be shatterproof.
Clean and maintain your eye protection
Your eye protection should be cleaned, inspected and maintained just like other work equipment. Dirty or smudged lenses can negatively impact your vision and could lead to falls. Falling at work is another common construction accident that leads to numerous workers’ compensation claims each year.
If your eye protection gets damaged after an impact, it may be time to replace it. You should also make sure to store your eye protection in a special carrying case rather than just throwing it in with your tools.
Change your eye protection when needed
Construction workers usually do a variety of jobs, so construction eye protection may need to be changed throughout the day. When the job calls for it, swap your sunglasses out for safety goggles. Some eye protection is better for hot weather and some for cold, so weather conditions may also require you to change your eye protection.
Construction eye injuries take time to heal
Going back to work too early after sustaining a serious eye injury is never a good idea. However, a lot of injured construction workers get stressed about the paychecks that they are missing. If you file a workers’ compensation claim after an eye injury, you may be able to get reimbursed for some of your recovery time.