The Dudek & Bock policy regarding safety glasses is not just our rule–it is also an OSHA rule. The Dudek & Bock policy says:
SAFETY GLASSES – OSHA approved safety glasses must be worn in all areas of the plant at all times. The only exceptions are:
1. When production areas are shut down for breaks or lunches.
2. When employees are in the process of entering or leaving the building. Employees are expected to stay in the main aisleways during these times. Employees should retrieve their safety glasses from their lockers immediately after entering the building and prior to entering the production areas.
3. When employees enter offices located on the plant floor.
This policy applies to all employees, as well as visitors or contractors who enter the plant.
Think of some excuse you have used (or heard others use) for not wearing your eye protection: they are not comfortable; they are dirty; they fogged up, you were going to be doing a hazardous task for just a few seconds and did not want to stop and put them on . . . While you may think some or all of these excuses sound like good reasons for not wearing your safety glasses or goggles at work, consider what could happen if an accident occurred and injured one or both of your eyes. Is it worth risking injury, or even blindness, for any one of those reasons? Absolutely not!
OSHA’s standards for eye protection are intended to help prevent accidents that can lead to serious injuries, even blindness, caused by a variety of hazards. These hazards include flying particles (such as those present when cutting, chipping, drilling, grinding, brushing, and blowing with compressed air), molten metal (torch cutting, welding, brazing), liquid chemicals (mixing, cleaning, measuring), acids or caustic liquids (applying cleaners, filling batteries), chemical gases or vapors (cleaning, mixing, spraying, heating), or potentially injurious light radiation (welding, cutting, brazing, lasers).
Here are some of the major requirements of the OSHA standards for eye and face protection:
- All eye and face protection devices, such as safety glasses, goggles, and face shields must be marked that they meet or exceed the test requirements of ANSI Z87.1-1989. The marking is typically located somewhere on the frame of the glasses or goggles.
- Safety glasses used to protect workers from flying objects must also have side protectors built into the design, or attachable side shields that meet the above referenced ANSI standard, to prevent objects and particles from injuring your eyes from the sides.
- Workers needing corrective lenses must either wear approved safety glasses with prescription lenses and frames that meet or exceed the above-referenced ANSI standard, or wear approved goggles designed to be worn over their regular prescription glasses that meet the ANSI standard.
The company pays for prescription safety glasses for an employee every two years. See HR if you need the form to get prescription glasses.
You could be injured, or even lose your sight, in the blink of an eye!
