Strive for an accident-free life
April is Injury Prevention Month. What have you been doing during the past year to prevent injuries on the job and at home?
At work, have you:
- Followed safety rules?
- Worn required PPE?
- Applied what you’ve learned in safety meetings to your job?
- Reported workplace hazards?
- Asked questions about anything you don’t understand?
- Focused on your work and avoided distractions?
- Teamed up to inspect your work area and keep it clean and safe?
- Read labels and safety data sheets (SDSs) before using chemicals?
- Looked for ways to improve workplace safety?
At home, have you:
- Developed a family emergency plan and practiced it with the whole family?
- Installed smoke alarms and fire extinguishers around the home?
- Made sure that poisons and other home hazards are secured and out of the reach of curious or careless children?
- Used power tools, lawn mowers, and other hazardous equipment safely and taught family members to do so as well?
- Worn appropriate PPE, such as safety glasses, gloves, and hearing protection, when performing tasks that could cause injuries?
In the Blink of an Eye: Why you need to wear eye protection
Here are three good reasons why you need to wear appropriate eye protection whenever you’re looking at the risk of eye hazards.
- Jason was cutting the grass in his backyard when a small stone flew up from under the mower and hit him in the eye. It took an operation to save the eye. Jason was lucky. He would have been luckier had he been wearing eye protection—no injury, no surgery, no problem.
- Nellie was using a compressed air gun to clean parts when a small sliver of metal flew up and sliced into her cornea. She should have been wearing her safety goggles. She knew it, and kicked herself for weeks afterwards for being so careless. Nellie had to go around for weeks looking like a pirate with an eye patch. Worse, complications developed that permanently affected her vision.
- Lewis was playing racquet ball with a buddy when a hard slam by his opponent sent the ball whizzing off the wall right into his left eye. The force of the blow detached his retina. Surgery was required to reattach the retina and restore sight in the eye. Even with insurance, Lewis still ended up spending all his vacation money on medical bills. If he’d been wearing proper eye protection, he could have avoided the whole thing and gone on a nice vacation.
