Do you wear protective eyewear while doing home projects?
Wear your safety glasses.
As leaves begin to fall and temperatures drop, many of us are working on those last minute projects to prepare our homes for winter. Please remember to wear protective eyewear while trimming the hedges, mowing the lawn, and wrapping up other end of season home projects.
Nearly half of all eye injuries each year occur in and around the home, and home-based injuries are increasing each year.
Because of this alarming trend, the American Academy of Opthalmology and Eye to Eye recommend that every household have at least one pari of ANSI approved protective eyewear on hand, for use during household projects that may present the risk of injury.
Some areas where eye injuries often occur:
In the Home
Using products such as oven cleaner and bleach for cleaning and other chores cause 125,000 eye injuries each year!
Cooking foods can that can splatter hot grease or oil.
Opening champagne bottles during a celebration.
Drilling or hammering screws or nails into walls or hard surfaces like brick or cement; the screws or nails can become projectiles, or fragments can come off the surface.
Using hot objects such as curling irons around the face; inadvertent contact with the user’s eyes can cause serious injury.
Loose rugs and railings or other hazards that could cause falls or slips.
In the Yard
Mowing the lawn.
Using a power trimmer or edger.
Clipping hedges and bushes.
Spraying insecticides or other chemicals
In the Garage or Workshop
Using tools (power or hand).
Working with solvents or other chemicals.
Any task that can produce fragments, dust particles or other eye irritants.
Securing equipment or loads with bungee cords.
Note: It’s important to remember that bystanders also face significant risk and should take precautions against eye injuries too. This is particularly important for children who watch their parents perform routine chores in and around the home. Bystanders should wear eye protection too or leave the area where the chore is being done.
Wearing protective eyewear will prevent 90 percent of eye injuries, so make sure that your home has at least one approved pair and that you and your family members wear the eyewear when risks come into play.