Eye Protection Not Necessary in Shop?

[davereagan]

http://www.manufacturing.net/News-Mi...09.aspx?menuid=

[martinw]

Dear Terabithia,

My humble guess is that your employer is being a bit reckless. I cannot imagine that any insurance inspector would take such a laid-back approach. Anyway, if you do not want to fight a war on a matter of principle, the simple answer is to take responsibility for your own eyes, and invest $10 of your own hard earned cash in some safety glasses. They are your eyes, after all. Encourage your fellow workers to do the same.

Best wishes,

Martin

[mc-motorsports]

Originally Posted by Terabithia Can anyone offer any opinions as to the validity fo the management position that no eye protection is needed?

I can tell you how fun it is to dig steel out of your eyeball. For 2 days, I thought I had welding flash, but even the worst I've ever had welding flash, it only lasted 1 day, so I decided to bear the pain and take a second look tonight.

After sitting in there for 2 days, it was plainley obvious that there was a chip burried right over my iris. I was lucky this time, I managed to remove it with a Q-tip. But now, I basically have a hole in my eye and if things aren't looking 100% better by 10am, I'll be at the doctor. Granted everything already feels A LOT better, it would be easy for the simplist infection to get into my eye and it would be down hill from there.

The last time this happened, I had to goto the doctor, he gave me numbing eye drops, which worked excellent by the way, and then dug out the metal with some kind of vibrating needle. I didn't feel a thing, until I got home, then I would have sworn he used an axe, I was out of commision for the rest of that day.

Just wear your damn saftey glasses, this isn't worth it! Out of all the mistakes I've ever made, I would hate to lose an eye over something so petty, and I'm self employed, so there is nobody responsible for me. I make anyone visiting or walking around my shop wear saftey glasses at all times, I guess I need to make that rule apply to myself also. FML

MC

[martinw]

Dear mc-motorsports,

Welding flash, or "arc eye" as they call it hereabouts. Hurts like hell. It feels like some evil bugger has decided to line the inside of your eyelids with 36 grit abrasive.

I had a dose of it just by hanging about in a welding shop for a few hours. I never looked directly at any of the arcs, just picked up the damage by being there. At the end of the day, I really thought I couldn't drive the sixty miles home, but the helpful guys just said I should overdose on 6 aspirin, and that will get you home. It worked.

I drove back to London and went straight to an eye hospital . My eyes hurt like crazy for 36 hours, but I escaped without lasting damage. You can lose a few fingers on rotating machinery, and your life probably will not be too difficult. Lose a couple of eyes, and the whole world is going to change.

Look after them, people..

Best wishes,

Martin

[mc-motorsports]

You know, it's weird, some people can just be near a welder and pick up a case of flash or arc eye, usually people with lighter colored eyes.

One time I was just being completely ignorant, MIG welding a car trailer outside on a really sunny day, if you've ever welded out side on a sunny day, you know how easy it is to look at the arc, doesn't really bother you, maybe because your pupils are already diolated. Anyway, I woke up that night with the worst case of welding flash ever, every time I opened my eyes, tears would POUR out of my eyes and nose like a faucet. It was something that you would just have to see, I wished I could have video taped that, looked like a horror movie.

The next morning, I was fine, felt like I had sand in my eyes, but it was no big deal, back to work as usual.

Right now, my eye is bloodshot and very sore from the piece of steel that was buried in it, but it's ok, atleast it's not swelled shut like it was the previous 2 days.

I'll be a little more cautious and saftey minded in the future.

MC

[Geof]

MC; consider yourself thoroughly kicked around those parts where I suspect your brain might be located.

I have worn glasses all my life and all my work glasses are spattered with weld. I am much happier having to buy new glasses occasionally new eyeballs are a bit difficult to come by.

[martinw]

Originally Posted by mc-motorsports You know, it's weird, some people can just be near a welder and pick up a case of flash or arc eye, usually people with lighter colored eyes. MC

Dear mc-motorsports,

Errgh sorry dude... That is a crap theory, IMVVHO ...My eyes are dark green to brown. It still hurt like hell.

Respect anyway..

Best wishes,

Martin

[One of Many]

Speaking as someone who (as a few here may already know), works with about 250-300+ Blind, Legally Blind and even Deaf/Blind people every day in a machine shop manufacturing environment. I can attest that even they are required to wear eye protection on the shop floor running any machine. There is no excuse for such a lacks employee policy that would place one's eye sight or eye injury at the shear risk of thickheaded roulette.

I have yet to find one of these fine folks that have been partially blinded by their own ignorance to safety in the workplace…..One near incident shouldn’t become that much a gambled learning curve from the CEO to the deburr bench.

DC

[justice25]

Originally Posted by Terabithia With management believing that a fully enclosed machine presents no eye hazards, any suggestions on how to argue that point?

Tell management to read the warning labels that come on the Machines, Even the enclosed CNC's have them stating that Ear and Eye protection is needed at all times. We have a TL2 and it is no different than running a conventional lathe, as a matter of fact it is more hazardess due to the CNC controller running things. Wear the glasses.

[doug6949]

Originally Posted by scadvice It’s funny how the government agencies write the laws sometimes. The essences of the written laws from what I’ve seen, are vague with generalities, and push the burden back upon the business owner as to what is appropriate safety and what is not. Steve

You are right, Steve. However, there is a good reason.

OSHA takes a proactive approach only when industry fails to address a problem. Two examples are trench cave-ins and brown lung disease in the cotton industry. OSHA's involvement in both cases were commendable.

OSHA prefers to let industry police itself. Industry standards for eye protection are well known and thus it is unnecessary for OSHA to spell them out.

The presence of hand or power tools anywhere in the shop dictates that all persons in the shop wear eye protection. This is the standard. It applies at all times, not just when someone is using such tools.

I've yet to see a company that was lax on safety glasses that wasn't careless about safety in general.

[arie kabaalstra]

My opinion about eyeprotection AKA safetyglasses:

the machineshop i used to work in had a sticker on the door, telling everyone to wear safetyglasses, although most of the machines were half or fully enclosed..

turned out, i was the only one to permanently wear safetyglasses..
i ran a fully enclosed Bridgeport VMC800 ( Big'un ), and when removing chips,you guessed it, i would use compressed air..

safety starts at the people working in the shop..
whenever i go into any machineshop, i wear my glasses, even when bolting things together... it hs become a habit.. a good habit,'cause you can't forget to put your glasses on when you just need to drill the odd hole here and there..

safety regulations differ from country to country.. here in holland it's just weird..

one day i was machining die parts on the bridgeport when i noticed a man walking around in the shop.. no visitors badge, so i walked over to him and asked who he was, and what the F##K he was doing in the shop ( as he was not wearing safetyglasses, and no steel-toed shoes..), he told me he was from some sort of safety-controlling board, and as soon as he finished that sentence i deliberatly stepped on his toes.. ( weighing 80 Kg, and wearing steel-toes) .. that hurt.. so i asked him why he wasn't wearing any safety equippement in the shop..

that kinda pissed him off.. too bad.. he asked me and my colleagues about safety issues, and then he asked me what would happen if he touched the keyboard of the bridgeport while the machine was running.. in reply i grabbed a 3foot long 2"diameter Aluminium tube, and said to him,s showing the tube "don't even try thinking of that.. or i'll smack you dead in the face with this here puppy.."

turned out, we scared him out of the shop, and he complained to our manager about me threatening him with the tube..

the manager replied "well if he only threatened you with only a tube?.. consider yourself lucky, normally he would kick you in the nuts whitout warning...anyone touching a machine while he doesn't know what could happen is considered a safety-hazard in our shop.. so my guys immediatly "immobilise all people doing things they shouldn't.. "