Protecting your eyes from injury and accidents at work
More than 360,000 reported injuries occurred as a result of accidents at work during 2004/05. Specialist organisations, such as the Health and Safety Executive, are continuously trying to dissipate this number by educating employees and their employers about health, safety and welfare issues within the workplace. Read more about the Health and Safety Executive.
Although, like noise induced hearing loss and industrial deafness, eye injuries are not the most commonly reported personal injuries caused by accidents at work, they are potentially serious and could lead to loss of sight or even loss of the eye itself.
The two trades most rife with complaints of injuries and accidents at work involving the eyes include computer work and industrial or chemical work. Some important eye injury safety precautions for both of these industries will now be discussed.
Work with computers
While working with computers does not usually cause serious, permanent damage to the eye, it can affect the eyesight and cause temporary discomfort. Read more about computer-related injuries and accidents at work.
Risk of eye injury can be lessened by adhering to the following advice suggested by the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB):
Take regular breaks from looking at your screen. Eyes become tired when overused and rest can prevent headaches.
Make sure there is adequate lighting for your task and that as much of this light as possible is natural.
Make sure that your screen glare is kept to a minimum. Anti-glare filters can be used to aid this.
If you need to wear glasses for computer work then wear them. If you wear glasses for either short or long distance work then check with your optician whether you should be wearing them for computer work also.
Work in an industrial environment or with chemicals
Those that work in an industrial environment are vulnerable to a variety of accidents at work including industrial blindness, chemical burns to the eyes and foreign bodies, such as wood and metal splinters, flying into the eyes. This can be avoided by following advice provided by the RNIB:
- Always wear the correct eye protection for the task you are carrying out. This should be supplied by your employer.
- Always wear a specified welding mask when welding in order to shield your eyes from the bright light of the welding torch which can cause permanent damage to the cornea and retina.
- Handle chemicals with care following either the manufacturers or site specific instructions and always wash your hands thoroughly after contact.
- Those overseeing work in industrial environments should also wear eye protection.
Making a compensation claim for an accident at work
Despite the large amount of people that are harmed in accidents at work every year, only nine in ten workers seek personal injury compensation from their employers. Read more about statistics relating to accidents at work.
It is thought that the main reason for this is that they believe the compensation claim process to be too financially risky and are fearful that they may be persecuted at work if they make a claim for compensation.
However, if you have been involved in a non-fault accident and have received a personal injury then compensation is rightfully yours and if you make a claim through The Claims Solicitors you can rest assured that you will not have to pay a penny at any time.
We work under a no win no fee agreement and also take out after-the-event insurance on your behalf so that you are covered for both yours and your opponent's costs and fees. We also guarantee that you will receive 100% of any compensation awarded to you. Read more about making a no win no fee claim.
To find out more about making a no win no fee personal injury claim following an accident at work call 0800 197 32 32 without delay.
