Hazard:
VSC’s PPE safety policy clearly states that proper eye protection is the primary source of protection to prevent eye injury. Properly fitted eye glasses, goggles, and face shields are the first line of defense against eye injuries. However, in the past five years, 22 VSC employees have had eye injuries at work because employees were not wearing proper eye protection. The cost of medical treatment for those claims has surpassed $10,000 – about $500.00 in eye doctor care per injury! Most incidents were “foreign object in eye” cases, where the doctor flushed away the object with eye wash.
Injuries have occurred to employees in every VSC division: Sprinkler (14 injuries); Inspection (2); Alarm (4); Fab Shop (1); VSC Warehouse (1) – SO….if you think this Safety Alert doesn’t apply to you…think again. You could be the next VSC employee with a foreign object in your eye in need of a bottle of eye wash to dislodge the irritant and soothe the eye!
Preventative Measures:
Eyewash, or eye irrigating solutions are “sterile solutions used to clean, refresh or soothe eyes. For emergency eye cleansing a flow of solution can flush loose foreign objects, and other irritants from the eye.” (Source: Bausch + Lomb)
OSHA’s only standard specific to eyewash facilities is for exposure to injurious corrosive chemicals 1910.151(c) [general industry] & 1926.50(g) [construction industry]. Given a VSC employee’s potential risk of exposure to injurious corrosive chemicals on a job site (i.e. high concentrations of concrete dust, or foreign objects falling from ceiling cavities), a 32 oz. or larger bottle of eye wash must be available at each job site. Smaller bottles of solution, such as those found in First Aid kits on VSC trucks do not provide the ample flow to dislodge most foreign objects!
Fire extinguisher charging stations, located in VSC warehouses or on VSC vehicles must have their own designated separate eye wash bottle located within quick easy access of the station.
During Safety Audits we are finding eyewash stations and bottles that have expired in VSC warehouses, fleet vehicles, and fire extinguisher charging stations. Eye wash bottles have an annual expiration and must be replaced.
Please check your shop, extinguisher charging stations, and VSC vehicles and replace expired bottles. If the bottle has no expiration date – get a new bottle!
Another source of eyewash is an Eyewash Station. Stations can be found in VSC warehouses and at job-sites. Reminder: whether gravity flow or plumbed in to a water supply Stations must be tested periodically for hygiene purposes.
Host Facility / Customer Operations:
Note: VSC employees working in a customer facility or manufacturing processes where there is potential exposure to hazardous chemicals must comply with the facility eye protection requirements and identify the location of the nearest eyewash station, if provided, before starting work at the job-site.