PBA declares March workplace eye health and safety awareness month

Chicago-Yearly there are more than 800,000 eye injuries on the job and close to 36,000 of those will cause individuals to take time off from work. Prevent Blindness America (PBA) has designated March as Workplace Eye Health and Safety Awareness Month to encourage workers of all industries to protect their eyes by wearing proper eye protection.

"Our vision is something that so many people take for granted until it's damaged," said Daniel D. Garrett, senior vice president of Prevent Blindness America. "We hope to encourage employers and employees to make sure that eye protection is on the 'to do' list every day."

The most common workplace eye injury is chemical burn, followed by cuts, lacerations, and punctures. Most eye injuries occur in production, transportation, and service industries.

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that eye injuries total more than $300 million annually in lost production time, medical expenses, and worker compensation.