Up to ninety percent of workplace eye injuries are preventable through the proper use of safety glasses and compliance with safety protocols. The right type of protective eyewear reduces your risk of becoming part of this staggeringly high statistic.

The BLS estimates sixty percent of eye injuries occur because the worker was not wearing safety glasses or goggles at the time of the accident. An additional forty percent of injured workers wore the wrong type of eye protection or incorrectly fitted safety gear. Reasons for noncompliance vary, but discomfort due to incorrect fit is a leading cause. Workers also tend to avoid wearing protective eyewear that they find unattractive, so style actually plays a role in preventing eye injuries.

Safety glasses protect against impact, but leave workers vulnerable to contact with airborne particles around the sides, top, and bottom of the glasses. Goggles provide more complete protection, shield in the eye completely, while usually containing some form of ventilation for air flow.