Eye Injury Caused By Dust

Eye injuries occur when dust particles enter the eye which hasn’t been covered or protected on a construction site. These particles might be the wood shavings, dust, glass, chemicals, metal or particles of wire. Construction workers such as carpenters, mine workers, boilermakers are the ones who are at the maximum risk of having an eye injury while working.

Eye injuries are a threat to those who work on the construction sites. It has been found that eye injuries caused by dust is one of the reasons for the maximum number of people dying in UK. According to a survey, there are almost 11,000 eye injuries occurring on an annual basis which is high as compared to the other occupations.

Dust is one of the major reasons for the workers to have eye injuries at the job site. Mines, construction sites, mills, textiles and agriculture are some of the major areas where workers have eye injuries caused by dust. Cement dust, coal dust, flour dust, and leather dust and grain dust causes irritation and can lead to redness of the eyes. The dust generated by welding can also burn the eyes and if not taken seriously one can lose eyesight also.

It is the duty of the employer to make the environment healthy and clean for the workers. This can be done by installing a proper ventilation system so that the dust can be removed. Also one must be careful while working at the construction site to avoid any kind of eye injury. Protecting the eyes is very important and therefore various precautions need to be taken while working at the site. Wearing goggles or safety glasses protects the eyes and prevents the flying particles from entering the eyes. One should always wear a plastic shield while undergoing chemical work. Proper protection should be given to the eyes at the time of welding.

While one can recover from a broken arm injury but an eye injury does not only damage a body part but also makes one incapable to earn for his livelihood. It is the responsibility of the employer to take care of the workers and if he fails to do so and gets injured as a result, then these injured workers get a compensation fee. This fee can be obtained after making a compensation claim to get a legal advice by professionals in the field and who would have dealt with similar cases.