February 26, 2015
Protecting your eyes at work may not be your primary concern. However, in the digital age when people are looking at screens (computers, tablets, etc.) for a substantial part of their days, workplace eye safety is an important issue.
In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
- Every day, about 2,000 workers in the U.S. hurt their eyes or damage their vision in some way.
- In 2012 (the most recent year for which statistics are currently available), more than 20,000 people sustained occupational eye injuries that caused them to miss days at work.
- Even when people don’t suffer a specific eye injury, they can still feel the impacts of eyestrain from work. Some researchers have extrapolated that as many as 70 percent of Americans deal with digital eyestrain due to their jobs.
Given that March is Workplace Eye Wellness Month – and that eye and vision protection is just as important as other workplace protections, in this blog series, we will reveal some helpful workplace eye safety tips for both office and blue-collar workers. If, however, your main focus at the moment is physically and financially recovering from a workplace injury, don’t hesitate to contact Denver Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Jennifer Bisset for experienced help obtaining the benefits you may deserve.
Effective Workplace Eye Safety Tips
Here are some workplace eye safety tips that have been compiled by Prevent Blindness (a well-established volunteer organization), as well as OSHA and other reputable organizations:
- Adjust your screen to fit your vision needs – If the risks to your eyes at work primarily revolve around your regular use of computers (or other electronic devices), then simply adjusting the screens you use can be an easy and effective way to start reducing your eye strain and protecting your vision at work. With this workplace eye safety tip, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- The best places for screens to be in order to reduce eye strain is below eye level at about 20 to 26 inches away from you.
- Change the “zoom level” of your screen if you find that you are straining to read or focus on things presented on the screen.
- Adjust the lighting in your office (if possible), and/or use glare filters over your screen(s) to further reduce the strain on your eyes.
- Practice office ergonomics – There are other ways that you can alter your working environment and, in doing so, further protect your vision and eyes.For instance, adjusting the height of your office chair can help place screens at the appropriate level for you and, in turn, reduce your eye strain. Similarly, using things like document holders and/or tilting or swiveling screens can help you avoid having to constantly refocus your vision (as you look from a screen to a document) or strain over glares, further assisting in protecting your eyes.If your workplace is not as up-to-date with office ergonomics, this coming month may be the perfect time to introduce this topic and conversation through discussions regarding workplace eye safety.
For some more helpful workplace eye safety tips, be sure to read the second part of this blog series. It’ll be posted at the end of this month.
Denver Workers’ Compensation Lawyer at the Bisset Law Firm
Have you been injured at work? If so, Denver Workers’ Compensation Attorney Jennifer Bisset wants you to know that she is here to aggressively advocate your rights and help you obtain the benefits you need and deserve. To contact Jennifer Bisset, call (303) 894-8900 or email our firm using the contact form on the right side of this page.
From her office based in Denver, Jennifer Bisset provides superior legal services to injured people throughout Denver County and the state of Colorado.
