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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a location with many job opportunities in the factory or mechanical industry. These industries often lend themselves to most workplace injuries, including eye injuries, which are preventable. There are several types of eye injuries that may occur in the workplace, which lead to workers’ compensation claims. It is important to protect yourself, however, to prevent these injuries.

Types of workplace eye injuries

The most common type of eye injury you can experience at work is a scratch from a foreign object in your eye. These foreign objects can at times lodge themselves in your eyes as well. A burn can also occur from chemicals or from a flash burn from the sun. Finally, you can receive an impact injury to the eye that causes bruising or swelling.

Causes of eye injuries

There are too many eye injuries in the workplace on a daily basis, with over 1,000 per day reported. In many cases, the injuries are due to a lack of protection. Employees wear sunglasses or other glasses that do not have side shields. Over 90% of eye injuries are preventable.

Protection from eye injuries

As mentioned numerous times, most eye injuries at the workplace are preventable. There are pieces of personal protective equipment to protect yourself such as:

• Goggles
• Safety glasses
• Helmets for welding
• Safety shields

If you are an employer, be sure to advise your employees to wear these pieces of protection. Make sure there is extra eye protective gear at work stations and that there are replacements readily available as well to prevent a claim for workers’ compensation.

Final thoughts

Though eye injuries often come from a lack of protection, you can still file a claim for workers’ compensation. Contact a lawyer today if you have an eye injury that came from your workplace or job duties.