Environmental Health and Safety has launched the Eye Promise campaign to raise awareness for wearing appropriate eye protection.
The campaign asks university students, faculty and staff to promise to wear their safety glasses whenever they are in areas working with hazardous materials or physical hazards. Whether an individual works with wood in a shop, uses paints in a studio or handles chemicals in a laboratory, the Eye Promise campaign serves as a reminder to wear eye protection.
“I believe any scientist needs to pay attention to their health and safety, and the safety of people around them,” said Samira Kiani, an assistant professor of biological and health systems engineering. “I ask my students to put their safety first and make sure to protect themselves by wearing personal protective equipment, including safety glasses.”
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, US workers suffer about 2,000 eye injuries each day with one-third resulting in a trip to the hospital and 100 resulting in at least one missed day of work.
The Eye Promise campaign has five promises to reinforce ASU’s culture of safety:
- Always wear eye protection when working with or near hazardous materials and physical hazards.
- Always wear eye protection even if using prescription glasses or contacts.
- Always remind others to wear their eye protection near hazardous materials.
- Always know the location of the nearest eyewash station, how to operate it and never block its access.
- Always report accidents and injuries.
EHS has teamed with the Biodesign Institute to decorate old safety glasses in the ASU Bling Your Safety Glasses competition. The goal of creating unique, decorated safety glasses is to encourage and motivate Sun Devils to wear them. Please obtain prior authorization to wear them while working with hazardous materials.
“Our eyes and vision are things that go underappreciated until they are affected. When working in a lab, accidents happen, often at no fault of the victim,” said Seron Eaton, a research laboratory manager at the ASU Biodesign Institute. “Like getting hit at an intersection by someone running a red light, experiments can go awry no matter the precautions undertaken. That’s why the Eye Promise campaign is important to me. Safety glasses are seatbelts for your eyes. My seatbelt goes on every time I get into the car. It should be the same with your safety glasses and going into the lab.”
Be sure to use all required personal protective equipment for the hazard with which you are working. Decorated safety glasses must meet or exceed ANSI Z87.1 for use in a hazardous area. Please decorate responsibility. If glasses are cracked, scratched or otherwise no longer safe, dispose of them properly and use new protective eyewear.
