5 Tips to Remember Protective Eyewear

To see the future, workers must protect their vision.

“Our eyes are one of our most precious commodities,” said Wanda Sanchez-Miller, an eye safety expert and senior product marketing manager.

Workers agree.

Many Americans said that losing eyesight would potentially have “the greatest impact on their day-to-day life, more so than other conditions including: loss of limb, memory, hearing and speech,” according to a poll conducted by Research! America and vision research organizations. 

Businesses must prevent eye injuries to avoid costly risks, including lawsuits, worker’s compensation payments and potentially losing permission to operate, Wanda said.

But protective eyewear can’t prevent injuries if workers forget to wear it.

That’s why keeping vision safe must become a habit.

Here are five tips to help workers remember to wear their glasses.

Keep glasses near work tools

Keeping everything together in one place can help workers remember their eyewear. If the safety glasses are next to their hard hat, harness, boots or other equipment they need to perform a job, then workers have a better chance of remembering the eyewear.

Don’t take them off

Wearing glasses during breaks can help. Removing glasses during a break could cause workers to forget to put them back on when they go back to work. That danger can be avoided by not removing glasses in the first place as long as workers do not need to remove them.

Select comfortable, trendy styles

Gone are the days of one-size-doesn’t-really-fit-all safety glasses. Many Uvex glasses have adjustability features such as frames so they fit on a variety of face shapes and sizes. Comfortable glasses can reduce the urge to take off glasses. Other features like anti-fog coatings, for example Uvex Hydroshield AF, also help prevent workers from needing to remove their glasses for cleaning due to fogging. 

Listen to reminders

Whether it is reading signs or listening to safety directors and peers, workers should heed reminders to wear eye protection.

Participate in rewards programs

Positive reinforcement could be one way to help workers prioritize safety protocols, Wanda said. Incentives could be provided for time periods without dangerous incidents. Rewards for those safe days could range from a pizza party to an extra day off work to cash, she said.