Canadian Safety Reporter

3 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2015 News | March 2015 | CSR Eye-opening strategies for vision safety Equipment works, but only if workers use it properly BY LIZ FOSTER ON A TYPICAL workday, about 700 Canadians sustain eye in- juries while at work, according to estimates from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB). ese injuries often result in lost time and, in serious cases, the temporary or permanent loss of vision. While some natural pro- tection exists — such as a bone cavity, eyelashes and tears — ad- ditional precautions need to be taken in the workplace with the use of personal protective equip- ment (PPE). But as sophisticated as PPE has become, safety consultant Alan Quilley said one major barrier still stands in the way of worker safety. " e physical part of making something safe is pretty straight- forward," he said. "We have many, many techniques and many tools available to us to protect our eyes. It's actually getting workers to follow the necessary procedures that is the challenge in safety." Experiential learning and acti- vator behaviour consequence are to blame, Quilley said. Employees base their actions not on safety policies but on the consequences of their actions. "You see signs, you know the rules and then you make a choice. Whatever happens next solidifi es whatever behaviour you're likely to have," he said. "So if the fi rst time you completed a task, you got something in your eye and it was really uncomfortable, you probably would think about that forevermore." Each time an employee safely completes a task without using the necessary protective equip- ment, however, the belief that this equipment is unnecessary is reaffi rmed. " e hard reality is the object that might hit your eye doesn't care how many times you got away with it," Quilley said. "Just because you didn't splash any- thing into your eye the fi rst 20 times doesn't mean the 21st time it isn't going to happen. You've correlated your life experience to increased probability when the probability hasn't changed at all." In this way, Quilley explained, taking chances with protective eyewear is like rolling the dice. Each time an employee works without the necessary protective equipment, there is a real and unchanging chance she could be seriously injured. e most effi cient method of engaging employees is to execute safety policies "with" workers, rather than "to" them, he said. e best way to combat expe- riential learning and activator behaviour consequence is to in- volve employees in the creation of safety policies, said Quilley. Employees who contribute to workplace safety policies are far more likely to follow them, Quil- ley said, because they are forced to use their own experience and expertise to identify and address concerns. "Give workers all the data you have and ask them what choices they would make. People will make their own choices about behaviour, so why not help them make the best one?" he said. It's a model that takes time, however, and Quilley believes many employers choose instead to simply hand workers a manual for the sake of effi ciency. But ef- fi ciency without eff ectiveness is not the best formula for safety. "It's not perfect and you'll still have outliers," Quilley said of the behaviour-based safety meth- ods. "But to be as effi cient at be- ing eff ective as we possibly can, it's going to take non-traditional approaches." Going beyond the traditional requirements is just as important after an eye injury has occurred, according to CNIB. In addition to filing the re- quired reports and informing the necessary parties, employers need to provide support to em- ployees following an injury. "A supportive environment where colleagues understand the nature of the injury and how it has impacted the worker's vision and performance will facilitate the return to work," said Usha Kumar, a CVLT low-vision spe- cialist at CNIB. Necessary accommodations following a workplace eye injury might include a gradual return to work or the modifi cation of the type of work being done, Kumar said. Involving employees in ad- ditional approaches to develop support and understanding will build on existing workplace poli- cies and create a deeper under- standing of the issues. POTENTIAL EYE HAZARDS IN THE WORKPLACE • Projectiles — dust, concrete, metal, wood and other particles • Chemicals — splashes and fumes • Radiation — visible light, ultraviolet radiation, heat or infrared radiation and lasers • Blood-borne pathogens — hepatitis or HIV from blood and bodily fl uids Source: Alan Quilley SCREEN-SPECIFIC EYE SAFETY Despite the prevalence of technology in the workplace, many workers still use the same lighting and desk confi gurations intended for typewriters. The following measures can help protect employees from the eye strain, diffi culty focusing and discomfort associated with extended screen use. • Schedule regular eye exams. • Maintain a distance of at least 50 cm from the screen. • Personalize contrast and brightness controls for personal comfort. • Modify lighting to minimize glare. • Take periodic rest breaks and blink often. Source: National Safety Credit: Africa Studio

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