Workplace Eye Safety Month
February 21, 2006

A significant number of eye injuries causing visual loss, disability and blindness occur in the workplace each year. REMSA would like you to know that 90 percent of them can be prevented with appropriate protective eyewear. The following are tools that can help prevent eye related injuries in the workplace.

1. The workplace is one of the most common sites of eye injury.

• The workplace is a leading cause of ocular trauma, visual loss, disability and blindness.
• Work site injuries often involve automobile and construction repair-related workers.
• Each working day in the United States, more than 2,000 employees sustain job-related eye injuries.
• Of these, 10 percent to 20 percent will be disabled due to temporary or permanent vision loss.

2. The best way to protect workers is through an aggressive safety program.

• The number of job-related eye injuries can be reduced with the implementation of an effective eye care program that includes the use of safety eyewear.
• The critical components of an occupational eye care program include: 1) determining potential threats to vision on the job; 2) determining eye hazards present; 3) performing vision testing; and 4) requiring appropriate protective and corrective eyewear.
• Day-to-day enforcement of safety rules is imperative with appropriate disciplinary measures carried out as necessary.

3. Appropriate eyewear is essential to protect the eyes in the workplace. Talk to an Eye M.D. or eye care professional to learn about the eyewear appropriate for your occupation.

• Ninety percent of all job-related eye injuries can be prevented with proper protective eyewear.
• Many of those injured didn't think they needed to wear eye protection or were wearing eyewear inappropriate for the job.
• To keep eyes protected from dangers, such as flying fragment and chemical splashes, safety eyewear must have "ANSI Z87.1" (designating it as impact resistant for the workplace) marked on the frame or lens.
• All who enter a work site where eye hazards are present must wear adequate protection.Safety eyewear should be worn whenever there is a chance that machines or activities present a hazard of flying objects, chemical splashes, harmful radiation or a combination of these or other hazards.

To set up a media interview with a REMSA representative, please call Scott Walquist at 775.686.2116.

REMSA is a private, not-for-profit emergency medical services system serving northern Nevada. REMSA’s state-of-the-art 9-1-1 dispatch communications center is fully accredited, as are all emergency medical transport services of the company. REMSA provides quality patient care with no taxpayer support or other subsidies.

450 Edison Way Reno, Nevada 89502 (775)858-5700 Fax (775)858-5720