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Business Cases
The Business Case for Vision Testing
Occupational Eye Injuries Success Story: Company Headquarters Success Story: Warehouse Success Story: Child Care Centers NASA Occupational Vision Standards - A Review Vision in Business Company Vision Testing Workplace Talking Points 2008 The Business Case for Vision Testing
The attached link will take you to the National Safety Council’s website where you will find that the cost of a motor vehicle collisions is $1,150,000 for a fatal injury; $52,900 for a disabling injury and $7,500 for a damage only (no injury collision). http://www.nsc.org/lrs/statinfo/estcost.htm
All of these costs are borne by the employer in the event of a collision on the job. Even collisions off the job are a portion of the employer’s medical benefits claims. Whether an employer pays the costs out of his workers compensation insurance or out of his medical benefits plan the employers still pays; only the account used matters. In the end motor vehicle collisions on the job, on the construction sites or lost time injury accidents all add up and soon may exceed the ability of some employers to pay. Let us pose a simple question; why is Vision the only sense we do not test for in the safety and health arena on a regular basis? Most employers rely on a pre-employment visual test or just look at the driver’s license to see if restrictions are needed. This is a poor practice. Most states only test central visual acuity and have no requirements for peripheral vision. Most jobs require a normal field of vision or a “Useful Field of View.” Prison guards in some state must be able to see the whole room, to prevent an inmate from coming up and “blind siding the guard”. Have you ever considered the Useful Field of View for your jobs? Visual acuity is only testing the writing on the Snellen chart. There are other forms of acuity, which determines your ability to line up bars or parallel lines. Do your employees read gauges or micrometers? Contrast is important in determining if a flat surface is rippled or pitted, do you know if your employees can perform the inspections you ask them to conduct? Depth perception tells you how far away an object is, and you need both eyes for good depth perception. Do you know if your crane operators or forklift operations have depth perception problems? Glaucoma, cataracts, strokes, diabetes all can affect vision and with an aging population there are individuals in the American workplace with serious vision problems that affect their productivity, quality and most of all their own safety and the safety of others. Frighteningly they hide these conditions from employers and sometimes, family members. The driver’s license is a very poor defense for employers. A large New Jersey Employer was shipped an employee for long-term training from Okalahoma. The employee was restricted to daylight only driving in Okalahoma but was given full driving privileges in New Jersey. How many accidents have you investigated where the employee said that the object or person “came out of nowhere”, or “one minute the coast was clear and the next instant it was not”. The cost of an eye test is about $100 yet the cost of a collision with injuries can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. So let me ask you again, why aren’t you testing the vision of drivers of vehicles, forklifts, cranes, inspectors, electricians, quality control agents, etc, etc, etc. Talk with your occupational physician and determine what elements of vision are meaningful and critical for your operation. Consider all types of visual acuity not just central vision. Consider Useful Field of View for all operators and mission critical personnel. Test for Glaucoma, Cataracts and common vision problems, on hiring, and regularly. Add vision screening to your health fairs, your employees will thank you. Finally, many employers drug and alcohol test after every collision or occupational accident, consider adding a simply vision test - the results may astound you. The answer to improved safety & performance are right in your employees eyes.
Occupational Eye Injuries
By Glenn Demby
BY THE NUMBERS PUBLISHED at SafetyXChange.com Today is the last day of Eye Safety Awareness Week. Statistically, eye injuries are most likely to occur within the workplace. Consider the following statistics: 36,680 The number of lost workday eye injuries suffered by U.S. workers in 2004 80 The percentage of victims of occupational eye injury who were male 25 to 34 The age group most likely to suffer an occupational eye injury 300 Million The cost in dollars to U.S. businesses of eye injuries per year in terms of lost production time, medical expenses and workers' compensation 90 The percentage of occupational eye injuries that could have been prevented if the victim was wearing proper eye and face protection SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; the statement regarding 90% of eye injuries being avoidable comes from Prevent Blindness America, www.preventblindness.org.
Success Story: Company Headquarters
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Success Story: Warehouse
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Success Story: Child Care Centers
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NASA Occupational Vision Standards - A Review
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Vision in Business
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Company Vision Testing
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Workplace Talking Points 2008
WORKPLACE EYE SAFETY TALKING POINTS
More than 800,000 work-related eye injuries occur annually. (Healthy People 2010).
According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, healthcare workers, laboratory staff, janitorial workers, animal handlers, and other workers may be at risk of acquiring infectious diseases via ocular exposure. Infectious diseases can be transmitted through the mucous membranes of the eye as a result of direct exposure (e.g., blood splashes, respiratory droplets generated during coughing or suctioning) or from touching the eyes with contaminated fingers or other objects. The infections may result in relatively minor conjunctivitis or reddening/soreness of the eye or in a life threatening disease such as HIV, B virus, or possibly even avian influenza.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers to ensure the safety of all employees in the work environment. Eye and face protection must be provided whenever necessary to protect against chemical, environmental, radiological or mechanical irritants and hazards.
As of 2003, the U.S. Department of Labor estimated that eye injuries total more than $300 million a year in lost production time, medical expenses and worker compensation.
90 percent of all eye injuries can be prevented by wearing the proper protective eyewear. Only eye protection that has been certified by the American National Standards Institute should be used and must have “ANSI Z87” clearly stamped on the frame or lens.
In 1948, Prevent Blindness America (then the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness) launched the Wise Owl Club of America, the industrial eye safety program incentive program promoting the use of protective eyewear.
TEN SAFETY TIPS IN THE WORKPLACE
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