This is part of my continuing series of useful links from the Internet. In this edition, we look at eye safety. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Whether they are or not, it is "clear" that they are soft organs and require a lot of protection.

1. NIOSH - Eye Safety

Let's start out by going to one of my favorite websites: NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health). NIOSH has information on just about every topic you need in an industrial setting and eye safety is included.

"Each day about 2,000 U.S. workers have a job-related eye injury that requires medical treatment. About one-third of the injuries are treated in hospital emergency departments and more than 100 of these injuries result in one or more days of lost work."

So begins the information on NIOSH's website. From this site you have links to various eye statistics, as well as some Health Hazard Evaluations of some recent reports related to eye safety. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/eye/

2. NIOSH - Contact Lens Use

When the subject of eye safety in an industrial setting comes up, contact lens use is an often-asked question. NIOSH has a link from its eye safety home page to Current Intelligence Bulletin 59 - Contact Lens Use in a Chemical Environment. You can download the report by going to: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2005-139/

3. ANSI via International Safety Equipment Association

Safety eye wear has to meet tough ANSI requirements and their document, ANSI Z87.1-2003, Occupational and Educational Eye and Face Protection Devices provides manufacturers with the specifications to do just that. ANSI standards are copyrighted and cannot be reproduced. You need to purchase your copy. The International Safety Equipment Association is one of the organizations that sell this publication. You can order it from them by printing their order form and faxing them an order. The order form can be downloaded from: http://www.safetyequipment.org/orderform07.pdf

4. Lab Safety Supply

When researching some of the requirements, I find that Lab Safety Supply's EZ Facts always provide helpful information. Fact Sheet 125, What to Look for When Choosing Protective Eyewear, is one such bulletin. You can read it online at: http://www.labsafety.com/refinfo/ezfacts/ezf125.htm

5. Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology

The Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology has information on their website about eye safety around the home, for home activities, for sports and for hobbies. For example, many of us use steel-toed shoes when we're mowing the lawn. How many also use safety glasses? Get more information at: http://www.eyecareamerica.org/eyecare/treatment/eye-safety.cfm

6. Prevent Blindness America

Prevent Blindness America is the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization with the sole mission of preventing blindness and preserving sight. (I've been a member of the New Jersey/Tri-State chapter for almost 20 years.) Their website is full of easy-to-navigate links that provide information on eye safety, eye problems, and children's eye problems. There is an eye test that you can print and use to test your eyes at home: http://www.preventblindness.org/

7. Prevent Blindness America, Connecticut Chapter

Getting children into the habit of using eye safety will reap big rewards for them as they grown up. The Connecticut Chapter, along with Prevent Blindness America, developed an interactive website for children's eye safety. You can find it at: http://www.optima-hyper.com/eyetests/kidsquiz/KIDSAFE.htm

Conclusion

Let me finish this installment by reminding you that you can also find some helpful information on the websites of the various safety eye wear providers. If you have an idea you'd like me to explore in Web Walking, just send an email to bweissman@hillmanngroup.com

REQUEST FOR HELP

Eye Safety Tips Needed

I'm a member of Prevent Blindness Tri-State's Vision Council, a local chapter of Prevent Blindness America (www.preventblindness.org). We're working to increase the "visibility" of the organization and also to promote eye health and safety.

I specialize in the industrial applications.

We are going to be posting a web page devoted to training tips and techniques in delivering eye safety training in the workplace.

I would like your help in populating this page.

Please send me any and all of your tips and techniques and let me know if you would like your name and/or company name associated with the idea.

My idea, for the website, is to blindfold a worker and have them make a sandwich for lunch and pour themselves a drink.

What's yours?

I'm looking forward to your help

Regards:
Barry Weissman
Prevent Blindness Tri-State
RegulatoryMavin@yahoo.com

THIS DATE IN HISTORY

The Boston Molasses Disaster

January 15, 1919

By Ted Morrison

When you think of molasses, you probably don't think of industrial and public safety. But in 1919, molasses brought tragedy to the city of Boston.

On January 15, 1919, a 50-foot-high (16-meter), 90-foot-wide (27 meter) tank at the Purity Distilling Company on Commercial street was loaded with approximately two million gallons (8 million liters) of the syrupy substance when, about midday, witnesses reported that the tank made a rumbling sound and rivets began popping free.

As the tank ruptured and collapsed, a brown wave approximately 12 feet (four meters) high rolled into the busy streets of the North End industrial district, traveling at roughly 35 mph (50 km/h). The wave force was so strong that it broke steel girders and swamped a train from its track. Buildings were swept off their foundations. Men, women, children and animals were crushed. Survivors found themselves trapped in the sticky mass, which flooded streets to a depth of 3 feet (1 meter) for two or three blocks.

Twenty-one people were crushed to death, struck and killed by debris, or smothered beneath the goo. Another 150 were injured. 87,000 work hours would be required to clean the streets of molasses, and the harbor stayed brown for months. Property damage was reckoned at a billion of today's dollars.

Residents sued the company and, after six years, won the equivalent of $6 million in today's dollars. An investigation discovered that the man who built the tank was not a qualified builder, and had failed to conduct even the most basic safety tests. Residents in the area testified that the tank leaked so badly that it had to be painted brown to hide dripping molasses. Workers at the facility had reported leaks, creaks, vibration and other warning signals, but had been ignored.

In response to the inquiry, US states began to enact engineering and construction standards for industrial facilities. This was a significant landmark on the path to industrial safety requirements and penalties. Until that time, companies had mostly operated without regulation, sometimes losing lives in the process. Before the Boston Molasses Disaster, prevailing wisdom said that this was the cost of doing business, and that regulation was simply a hindrance.

North End locals say you can still smell molasses on hot days.

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