Your Legal Rights at Work

Warehouse Tips: Protect Your Eyes & Signs That You Need Medical Attention

by Lewis Hamilton

You work in a fast-paced environment, and you have to keep up. Working in a warehouse may put you at risk of certain dangers, such as an eye-related injury. The following guide will show you how to protect yourself at work and what to do in case of an injury.

Simple Eye Protection Tips

Eye-related injuries are more common than you think; in fact, they occur about 2000 times a day in the United States. This is a good reason to pay attention to the following:

Know The Eye Hazards

The potential eye dangers will determine the kind of protection that you need. The following are just a few hazards:

  • Dust, metal shards, wood dust, and other similar materials.
  • Chemicals that could be hazardous, like oils.

Pair Your Safety Gear Correctly

Your employer should provide you with information about the kind of eye hazards that exist for your job. Your employer should also give you the right gear to protect your eyes. For example, you will need safety glasses with shields should there be projectile particles in the warehouse, like dust.

Chemicals, since they are liquid, will require that you use goggles.

You can talk to your employer about other materials that might be in the warehouse and how to protect yourself. And you might need to modify your safety gear to fit your prescription if you wear glasses or contacts.

Check Or Prepare Work Area

You and your employer should ensure that the area you are working in is checked for hazards. For example, dust, mop, or sweep an area if you know that there might be foreign objects, like chemicals, dust, and other eye hazards, there.

Signs That You Need Immediate Eye Care

You may want to keep working when you have a minor injury, but you should rethink that action. Watch out for the following, which should prompt you to seek immediate medical attention:

  • Increased or persistent pain after the accident.
  • Visual disturbances or a decrease in visual acuity.
  • Your eye begins to look or feel abnormal.

Be sure to report the accident as soon as you can so that the employer is aware of the situation. Reporting ensures that the incident is well documented should you need to visit the doctor or file for workers compensation. Do not forget to keep a copy of your medical report, as you might need that if you seek compensation. If you do need to seek compensation for a workplace-related eye injury, check out websites like http://leifericksonlawoffice.com for more information on hiring a workers' compensation attorney.

Now you have a few tips to protect your eyes at work and know when to seek immediate medical attention.

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