In the past 10 years Australian work cover has seen an average of over 800 eye related claims per year.

The most common eye injury?

A foreign body being lodged in the eye, which sometimes resulted in partial loss of vision.

These situations are something that can be easily avoided by workplaces ensuring their employees are correctly educated in eye safety as well as making sure that the correct glasses are being worn for the job, and worn by everyone consistently, not just by the operator.

You may have a pair of safety glasses but they may not be fitted correctly – so you may not be properly protected.

Eye injuries can include cuts or scratches to the eye surface, a foreign body in the eye such as, dust, metal fragments, wood chips, chemical or heat burns.

While most eye injuries are workplace related, they can still happen anywhere.

• At home while you’re cooking,
• playing with your children
• participating in sports

So it’s best to always be vigilant and make sure you’re wearing the correct fitting glasses. Then these types of injuries can be easily prevented.

We’ve talked about wearing the correct safety eyewear but how do you know what you need and what will best protect your eyes? Your safety glasses should match the environment you are working in and the risks involved.