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The construction industry is one of the sectors where work-related eye injuries are common. The nature of the operations and processes result in flying debris which easily get lodged in the eye and cause harm. More than 50,000 people were admitted to hospitals over work-related eye injuries between 2010 and 2015.

As a contractor overseeing a construction project, you must protect your workers from eye injuries. Not only do these injuries cause costly downtime, but they also result in losses if you don't have workers' compensation insurance. Thus, take the following measures to prevent eye injuries on your site. 

Identify Risks on Your Site

Different construction sites present various bodily injury risks for workers. By identifying the hazards your workers are exposed to, you can find measures to mitigate them. For example, if there is a lot of welding work on the site, workers may be exposed to flying debris and sparks which can cause eye injuries. This is also the case on sites where sawing work is a part of the land-clearing task.

After identifying the potential risks, come up with measures to prevent them. For example, to protect workers from lightweight foreign objects flying at high speed, you should invest in protective equipment such as goggles and face shields. If your workers handle chemicals, using the right eyewear can prevent injury due to chemical splashes.

Caution Workers on Risks

Have you ever walked through a site where someone was using a saw and had debris get into your eye? Or passed by an area with chemical fumes and hurt your eyes? Workers who are not working on risky sites can also suffer eye injuries if they accidentally walk through the hazardous area.

Prevent this by cautioning workers of areas where they can end up suffering eye injuries. These include parts of the sites with flying debris, chemical fumes, electrical sparks and much more. Use signage to warn workers not to approach the areas without personal protective equipment and other required safety gear.

Invest in Emergency Equipment

No matter how careful you are, injuries are bound to happen on a construction site. The best measures you can take to protect your workers is to invest in safety equipment for handling emergencies. They include the following:

• Wash stations for when someone gets fumes or chemicals in their eyes
• Eye-flushing equipment to get rid of chemicals and debris in the eyes
• First aid kits that contain eye drops, gauzes, eye patches and other essential tools

Emergency equipment can turn a catastrophe into a minor injury. Train your workers on how to use them to ensure they administer emergency care even in your absence.

Injuries on construction sites can turn tragic if not managed and controlled. Follow these tips to prevent and reduce work-related eye injuries on your worksite.