Some of the most challenging and potentially life-changing injuries suffered by California residents are those affecting the eyes. Any incident that poses a threat to the sense of sight is a serious one, and all possible steps should be taken to prevent such events. However, each year, a number of individuals sustain eye injuries, many of which happen while on the job.
There are seemingly countless ways in which serious eye injuries can unfold, and many of them happen at work. Some of the more typical modes of harm include:
As frightening as these scenarios assuredly are, the good news is that an array of protective equipment exists that can greatly reduce the risk of injury, including things such as face shields, goggles, full-face respirator devices, fitted safety glasses and more.
When workplace accidents happen, it is sometimes because those impacted were not wearing any protective gear at all, or they had the wrong kind for the job. This may be due to a lack of proper training or because their employer failed to provide the necessary equipment or conditions to keep workers safe.
Work environments in which eye injuries tend to happen with greater frequency include heavy manufacturing, construction trades, mining, carpentry, welding and other endeavors in which the risk of flying debris, chemical burns, or other hazards is heightened. The fallout may include costly medical bills, lost wages, physical pain, emotional trauma and other losses.
Because employers are responsible for ensuring that conditions in their workplaces are safe for employees, when serious eye damage happens because of a failure on that front or because a piece of protective eye gear or other job site equipment malfunctioned in some way, a worker’s compensation or personal injury claim may emerge as a means to provide the financial resources necessary to facilitate the healing process.
