This should come as a no-brainer. People who have attended metal shop or wood shop (or pretty much any shop) in high school are taught that safety glasses are important. The safety people at most businesses teach it as well. Most elementary schools mention it at least once. Then why do people insist on doing things which can damage their eyes and not wear safety glasses? It boggles the mind. Needless to say, drug store reading glasses are not enough. Safety reading glasses? Maybe.
When I can't believe my eyes
One of my neighbors welds things for a living. Gates, safety bars for windows, decorative fence tops, you name it. I always know when he's in the process of welding things because my voltage regulator clicks – yes, the electricity provided here sucks to no end.
I walked past his house, where he welds this stuff on the side of the road for everyone to see, and noticed something I hadn't noticed before. He wasn't wearing any kind of eye protection. No safety glasses, no welding mask, nothing. I waited until he took a break and then asked him why he wasn't wearing any kind of eye protection. He said he couldn't afford them and besides, he couldn't see what he was doing clearly enough if he used them. I then asked him if he could afford to live without being able to see. What's more important, a few pesos or your eyes? Somehow, I don't think he's going to change and it's a shame.
Drug Store Reading Glasses
My father, before he was forced to retire, welded many things in his lifetime. Since he was farsighted, he thought he could always get by cheaply by using drug store reading glasses. It was hilarious to see him put two pairs on at the same time when he wanted to watch TV. He was at least 60-years old before he bought prescription eyeglasses for the first time. I digress.
He used those same reading glasses to weld with and replaced them when they started getting scarred badly. He switched to using a standard welding mask (or welding shield, if that's what you want to call it) when he found out his eyes were getting scarred as well. Of course, he wore reading glasses under the mask (and I don't know how he managed it).
These days, you can get prescription safety glasses, both as safety reading glasses and bifocal safety glasses, and they're affordable. There really isn't an excuse not to wear safety glasses around things that can damage the eyes. I'm lucky in that, since I had lasik eye surgery, I can wear regular safety glasses when I'm doing something dangerous like that.
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This article is published as: Why Wear Safety Glasses?
You talk about welding, but even with something as silly as getting rid of some ivy in my garden, I managed to get just a few dust particles from the roots in my eye. Two days later I couldn't even open my eye anymore and since it was a Sunday, I had to go to the emergency ward to get it out of my eye.
.-= My last blog: Teach Kids How to Ride a Bike Using Gyroscopic Wheels =-.
That's just sick.
Seriously… a welding mask is NOT that expensive. Even one that auto-darkens can be had relatively reasonably (what I wear when I weld).
Blindness… that could put you back on your heals for the rest of your life.
.-= My last blog: Jaw breakers =-.
Is it just a show off or he really just doesn't want to wear one? C'mon, is he some kind of insane not to wear a mask while welding? He should know that is it very, VERY dangerous to the eyes, tsk, tsk. Ah, hello? How old is he?
Older than I am.
Then I suppose he should know that fact, right? I hope no kids would do it.
My friend decided to be Mr. Macho and was welding without safety goggles. Now his eyes are burning pretty bad and he even has a runny nose. whats the best thing to do?
Mr. Macho needs to see an eye doctor.
Welding with no eye protection?? Thats just stupid!
I have spent a fair few years in construction, well in fact i am a plasterer by trade and I have dropped plaster in my eyes before and that hurts something cronic! From now on in if I need to do anything whether it is welding grinding or plastering I have my safety specs on.
Another story which was pretty grim, I was working with a chippy (carpenter) and he never wore his safety specs but one day he was using a spit gun and the nail ricocheted off the wall and caught him in the ear….. from that day on he wore specs!
Be careful….
Danny
.-= My last blog: The Porsche 550 Spyder =-.
Hey guys,
Great post!!
I am in the USA now and was wondering if you may know of any manufacturing contacts (IE- Names,Numbers) in the Philippines..
My wife is in Malate now and the American Company I was working for tanked so i came back to the states to get a position..
I was an International Manufacturing Manager (Large fabrication-Metals)
If anyone knows of any american or german contacts please let me know..
Thank you,
John
Wearing safety glasses should be a no brainer really…
accidents dont happen they are caused
Yvonne
.-= My last blog: Introduction to The Diet Carb =-.
Safety Glasses are definitely important. Many companies are now incorporating bifocal factors into their safety glasses so that you can also help your reading abilities in situations where you might be working.
Safety glasses are definitely something that you should fisrt think of if you are working with the things that might possibly effect your eyes. I had a situation and had big problem with my eyes for a week or more.