OSHA Eye & Face Protection Standards: 3 Steps to Eye and Face Safety

A frequent citation (often topping end of year violation lists) from OSHA involves inadequate PPE for eye and face protection. It might seem overwhelming, but proper eye and face protection is achievable with knowledge, proper PPE, and the right safety communication.

Let's get into the details. First?

Know Your Responsibilities.

According to Standard 1910.133, OSHA requires employers to ensure that:

• Each affected employee uses appropriate eye or face protection when exposed to eye or face hazards from flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals, acids or caustic liquids, chemical gases or vapors, or potentially injurious light radiation.
• Each affected employee uses eye protection that provides side protection when there is a hazard from flying objects. Detachable side protectors (e.g. clip-on or slide-on side shields) meeting the pertinent requirements of this section are acceptable.

Employers should also?

• Provide eye and face PPE that is distinctly marked to facilitate identification of the manufacturer.
• Ensure that each affected employee who wears prescription lenses while engaged in operations that involve eye hazards wears eye protection that incorporates the prescription in its design, or wears eye protection that can be worn over the prescription lenses without disturbing the proper position of the prescription lenses or the protective lenses.
• Ensure that each affected employee uses equipment with filter lenses that have a shade number appropriate for the work being performed for protection from injurious light radiation.

You can find a chart listing appropriate shade numbers for various operations as well as the full details of the regulation here, on the OSHA website.

Get the Right Gear. Once you have clarity on your responsibility, getting the right PPE is an important next step, as is maintaining access to it. Make sure that your PPE fits the OSHA guidelines and that it's readily available.

Communicate the Process. PPE doesn't just need to be high-quality and available; your personnel need to know when it's required for it to work. Be sure that your facility has eye and face protection signage everywhere it's necessary and consider investing in your own means of printing it, to ensure that you have the ability to update immediately in case of damaged or lost signs, or a change in location or risk.

The most important thing to remember about eye and face safety is that it's accessible. Leave those fines behind and give your team the safety they deserve.

Need help to make it happen? Call a representative at 1-888-326-9244.