In the first two parts of this series, we discussed from the employee's perspective the safety issues that arise when contact lenses are worn in an industrial setting and how to care for lenses. This week, we'll look at what employers need to know about employee use of contact lenses in the workplace.

Know the Regulations

There's only one OSHA standard that specifically addresses the wearing of contact lenses in an industrial workplace. This standard recommends against contact lens use when working with acrylonitrile, dibromo, chloropropane, ethylene oxide, ethylene chloride and ethylene dianiline chemicals.

Editor's Note: In Canada, there are six jurisdictions with legislation on wearing contact lenses in the workplace: Federal, PEI, Ontario, BC, Yukon and NWT. In the remaining provinces, contact lens use would be encompassed under the so called "general duty" clause of the OHS laws, which requires employers to safeguard employees against known risks.

Develop a Contact Lens Policy

To address situations specific to your workplace, I strongly recommend creating a contact lens policy.

Your first step should be to assess the requirements for protective eyewear by reviewing the work environments in accordance with OSHA 29 CRF 1910.132 (d).

Next, you should conduct your own hazard assessment. (SafetyXChange members can download my company's hazard assessment form from Tools.)

Three Danger Signs

When preparing your hazard assessment, these three questions will help you determine if contact lenses are inappropriate for any given area in an industrial environment:

• Does this area already have a documented history of eye injuries and thus pose a potential hazard to the contact lens wearer? Note that chemical splashes currently account for 20% and flying debris 70% of eye injuries.
• Does wearing contact lenses place the eye at greater risk of eye injury?
• Do contact lenses conflict with any existing safety requirement or strategy?

What Your Policy Should Say

Once you have identified that contact lens usage is appropriate for your workplace, be sure your company's contact lens policy:

• Sets out which, if any, areas of your workplace where the use of contact lenses by employees and visitors is prohibited and restricted;
• Requires employees who wear contact lenses to have the four kinds of support materials as detailed in last week's article: lubricant, carrying case, back up contact and safety glasses;
• Requires employees to fill out the form WIDE (What I Do with my Eyes) (available to SafetyXChange members in Tools) to ensure that their doctor has the information necessary to provide (or deny) an appropriate contact lens prescription;
• Requires employees to clearly indicate on their personal identifications if they are wearing contact lenses.

Conclusion

Employers who permit contact lens usage should have a clear and concise contact lens policy in force to guide their business operations and employees. Next week, in the conclusion of this series, we'll look at what first responders should know about contact lenses in the workplace.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

July 25, 1956

Failure to follow procedure capsizes liner

By Catherine Jones

One of the most famous maritime disasters occurred 50 years ago today – the collision of the SS Stockholm and the SS Andrea Doria.

At 11 pm on July 25, 1956, on the final evening of its transatlantic cruise, the SS Andrea Doria — Italy's largest, fastest and safest ship — was carrying its 1,134 passengers and 572 crewmembers to New York. Captain Piero Calamai navigated the liner through thick fog, a familiar condition in the waters off the coast of Nantucket. As procedure demanded, he reduced speed (slightly), closed the watertight doors and activated the ship's fog warning whistle.

Meanwhile, the Swedish-American liner, the SS Stockholm,was just beginning its journey from New York to Sweden and had not yet entered the fog bank.

On a Collision Course

Guided only by radar, the two ships steamed toward each other — each one aware of the other's presence, but neither establishing radio communication. Because the ships were in different weather conditions, the Stockholm did not realize that the other ship was a passenger liner and mistook it for either a small fishing boat or another small vessel.

There was also some confusion about each ship's course. The Stockholm, intending to widen the passing distance between the two, steered 20 degrees starboard. The Andrea Doria, not following standard "rules of the road," steered port. Rather than widening the passing distance, the ships were on a collision course.

The Collision

When the ships collided, the Stockholm's ice-breaking prow sliced open the starboard side of the Andrea Doria, ramming 40 feet through three cabin decks. Forty-six Andrea Doria passengers and five Stockholm crewmembers were killed in the collision.

Many of the Andrea Doria's watertight containers were breached and damaged fuel tanks began to fill with seawater. The ship's list was at least 18 degrees within minutes of the collision.

The liner carried enough lifeboats to accommodate all passengers and crew. Unfortunately, the list rendered half of those lifeboats useless. And the remaining lifeboats could not be accessed easily or safely; they had to first be lowered to the water before being boarded by the passengers, who had to find a safe way down the exterior of the ship before they could board the lifeboats.

Fortunately, numerous ships of all sizes responded to the distress call and by daybreak the Andrea Doria was evacuated. At 10:09 am, she capsized and sank.

The Aftermath

The investigation determined that while heavy fog was the main cause of the accident, the failure to follow proper radar procedures and "rules of the road, "among other things, were also contributing factors. As a result of the collision, it became mandatory for shipping lines to provide training on the use of radar equipment and approaching ships to establish radio contact with each other.

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