Contributing Factors to Eye Injuries in the Workplace

Posted by GKS Law Firm on November 26th, 2020

Thousands of people develop eye injuries every year. In fact, for every hour, there are at least 3 reported eye injuries that happen in the workplace. These eye injuries can range from mild to severe and can cause an average of 2 days of missed work. There are more people that lose weeks or even months of losses because of these injuries.

Eye injuries also cost over 0 million in production losses, according to reports. This also includes the costs of medical and work compensation for the injured workers.

There are a lot of contributing factors to eye injuries in the workplace. Here are some of them:

1. Flying objects and particles

For workers who frequently do cutting jobs, shards of the materials they are working on could get in the eye. Bits and pieces of glasses and metal particles can also get into the eye. This is why it’s important to wear eye gear before cutting or doing metal works.

2. Exposure to chemicals

If your work involves handling chemicals, the eyes could also get affected. Make sure you avoid direct exposure to chemicals and wear proper safety gear such as gloves and goggles. Even the fumes of chemicals can hurt the eyes. Avoid splashes of harmful acidic chemicals to the eyes as well by maintaining a safe distance and using eye goggles.

3. Misuse of tools

The wrong use of tools such as nail guns could lead to eye injuries. Make sure you know how to properly use the tools. Avoid overusing them as they could malfunction and inflict injuries.

4. Eye strain

When your eyes are overused, they could suffer from strain and eventually lead to permanent injuries like degeneration. This can happen to people who are constantly facing monitors. You can minimize eye strain by taking a break from your work every few minutes. You can also use eyeglasses with a blue light filter.

Monitors emit strong blue light that can lead to eye fatigue. These eyeglasses can filter these lights.

5. Heat

Exposure to intense heat could also affect the eyesight. It can affect the nerves and muscles of the eyes.

What should you do if you suffer from work-related eye injuries?

First, you need to get your eyes checked by an eye doctor. Get a proper diagnosis and understand the impact of this injury on your life and your work. Talk to your employer about these injuries that you have sustained.

Hire Burnaby lawyers if you need more compensation for your eye injuries. If you have been visually impaired due to these damages, it’s important that you let lawyers in Burnaby help you in getting a higher claim.

Burnaby lawyers such as GKS Law Firm are experienced in handling these cases. Lawyers in Burnaby will represent you in your claim against insurance companies like WorkSafeBC.

Roy Jacobsen is the author of this article. For more details about Lawyers in Surrey please visit our website: gkslawfirm.com