Eye Safety in the Workplace: Two Simple Fixes

RODEO, CA---Eye injuries cost American workplaces more than $300 million annually in medical expenses, lost production time and workers’ compensation. Whether from hot sparks, flying particles, liquid chemicals, gases or vapors, inexpensive eye protection can prevent 90 percent of those injuries.

But first you have to convince people to wear goggles and face masks. And that means finding an easier way to keep eye protection clear of vision-impairing fog and moisture for longer periods of time.

Enlightened corporations aren’t waiting until a major incident costs thousands of dollars and possibly raises their insurance costs. Instead, they are investing in worker safety by selecting anti-fog and water repellents that also increase productivity because they are applied in seconds and are known for their outstanding durability.

Rather than having to stop work to re-apply every hour or so, workers can now use their safety eyewear for days at a time without having to worry about fog or water obstructing their vision.  

“Many of U.S. industry’s best safety specialists have told me that compliance is the biggest issue when it comes to avoiding eye injuries,” said inventor and formulator Gene Menzies, who used good old-fashioned American ingenuity to create Fogtech Instant Anti-fog and Raincoat Water Repellant coatings.

Experts have spent years making eye protection more comfortable and even stylish. But if employees are constantly struggling to see because of fog or water drops on their lenses, they often feel it’s easier to just remove the protection so they can work uninterrupted.  That’s a nightmare for companies trying to keep their costs and liabilities down. In addition to the costs associated with the injury itself, OSHA’s fines can reach $5,000 to $70,000 per eye safety standard violation.

Reducing dangerous fog 

With more than 100 anti-fogs on the market, it might be tempting to economize. But if you’re using more of a product, and your employees are either stopping to apply more frequently or so frustrated that they stop wearing their safety eyewear entirely, that savings may be short sighted. 

Fogtech’s success lies in its quality. Recently reformulated, Fogtech has as much as tripled its durability. Just wipe onto plastic lenses or face shields using a pre-measured, single-step wipe – which takes about 5-10 seconds – and the transparent layer will instantly soak up fog for three to five days. And because there’s no rubbing, employees are not grinding dirt and debris into the eyewear so they get fewer scratches and expensive coatings aren’t worn down. 

Fogtech is used on protective eyewear by U.S. soldiers, as well as by workers here at home in numerous industries including construction, food safety, nuclear energy, steel manufacturing, welding and automotive. It is the product of choice for many industrial hygienists and safety managers.

Water-repellant coating

Employees exposed to rain, water spray and other water sources know it’s another serious safety hazard. As an avid motorcyclist, Menzies understands how water on plastic lenses, shields or windows can destroy visibility. “Water drops distort what you see and at night they cause distracting reflections. This can be deadly when riding a motorcycle in the rain, and it’s not always convenient (or safe) to stop and wipe off the water,” he comments. “Water also causes similar safety problems at work when the employee's job requires good vision.”

You probably know which product works great for causing water to roll off glass, but until recently there was nothing that worked as well on plastic. 

Raincoat, available as a paste and spray, is a special wax blend that gets 90 percent of water off plastic lenses and windshields, without harming the plastic. “This achieved instant popularity among sports enthusiasts as well as many private airplane and helicopter pilots because it’s easy to apply and it works as promised,” says Menzies.  

Greater worker safety benefits your bottom line. Some may object to paying for a high quality anti-fog or water repellent. They calculate that a cheaper solution might work well even though it has to be applied more often. Menzies cautions: “This approach could be ‘penny wise and pound foolish’. Let’s suppose an employee has to take just five extra minutes a day to re-apply the less-effective product. The cost to the company at a loaded labor rate of just $20 per hour is $1.67 which is much more than the cost of our solutions.”

Menzies has now spent years working with industry’s best safety specialists, staying in close communication with the experts so that he remains familiar with their needs. “I don’t make protective eyewear, shields or windshields. But I’ve worked harder and smarter to make these safety tools even safer.”