As a manager in a lab, on a worksite, or in any other high-risk place of work, you are likely very diligent about keeping your staff safe. If you find you are actually a bit lax when it comes to safety policies, now is the time to change that fact. This is because employee health and safety are of utmost importance to the success of your company.As you probably know, an injury on your watch would damage the reputation of both you and your company, making it difficult to find employees in the future. Worse than that, the injury would likely result in the temporary—or perhaps even permanent—loss of a team member, along with a host of serious problems for that team member in both their work and personal life. Lastly, injury due to the negligence of management could easily lead to a lawsuit, something you most certainly want to avoid.As you can see, one simple slip-up can be the cause of a lot of trouble. Therefore, it is highly important that in your safety planning, you create specific rules and routines that are never broken. Because employees will be familiar with the rules from the start, the resulting actions required for them to comply will become habit and something they never forget. This will significantly reduce the likelihood of unfortunate incidents occurring due to small mistakes.While these rules and routines should be created to protect employees in every way, we will be using this article to focus on the changes, habits, and regulations you can put into place to protect their eyes. After all, vision is very important to most individuals, and eye protection is often overlooked.Minimize HazardsTeetering objects and tools that are not properly maintained are liable to cause injury. Unfortunately, these are just a couple of the many preventable hazardous situations on worksites and in work places all over the country, every single day.Because these hazards can be easily dealt with, it is best to address them before they cause a bigger problem. By making a habit of checking the workspace for hazards every shift, you can make your company a safer organization to work for.Ensure Employees are Trained and InformedEven the most well-educated individuals will require a good amount of training. This is necessary in order to give them the chance to become accustomed to 1) your workplace, 2) the rules staff members must follow, and 3) the ins and outs of using any equipment you may own.By providing paid safety training and regular staff safety meetings, you are showing your team that you care about their health. Using these opportunities as a reminder about any rules that may be forgotten can prevent safety issues, and giving employees a chance to discuss their concerns during this time could even bring hazardous circumstances to your attention.Require Specific Safety EyewearDifferent types of work require different kinds of eyewear. For instance, those working with laser beams on a regular basis must have a good pair of laser safety glasses. Meanwhile, medical workers who spend large amounts of time around radiation need radiation-specific safety eyewear. Since there are so many different types of safety glasses on the market, and because many people will be new to the world of safety eyewear, it is crucial that you specify which kind your employees should be purchasing.When setting your requirements, deciding on a specific brand may seem like overkill. Nevertheless, it is something we recommend doing. By choosing a high-quality brand, you could actually be helping your employees out by ensuring they have the best protection possible.Insist on Prescription Safety GlassesIf any of your employees wear glasses, it is highly important that they order prescription safety glasses. This is due to the fact that wearing standard safety glasses over regular glasses can make them less effective. By the same token, removing those prescription glasses in order to wear the safety glasses creates a hazardous situation, because the staff member will no longer be able to see properly.Therefore, prescription safety eyewear is the safest and most effective option, and should be required for those who wear prescription glasses.Create a Suitable Storage Space for EyewearAllowing your employees to take their safety glasses home means they can potentially forget to bring them in, or accidentally break them during transport. For this reason, we recommend asking your staff to store their safety eyewear at work if at all possible.That said, if you require at-work storage of the glasses, it is important that you provide a suitable storage space. For example, individual cubbies and small, soft storage bags for each worker are ideal options that are likely to protect the eyeglasses from damage.Encourage Proper Care of Safety Glasses and GogglesWhether your employees take their glasses home or not, regular maintenance and proper storage are very important parts of owning safety eyewear. This maintenance should include regular polishing with a soft, lint-free cloth, occasional washing with warm water and dish soap, and tightening of hinge screws when necessary.Institute Eyewear Inspection MeetingsNo matter how gently they are handled, safety glasses do need to be replaced from time to time. Neglecting to do so could lead to serious injury. Therefore, we encourage you to institute regular safety glasses inspections. These can be done during safety meetings or scheduled separately; either way, the meeting should include a thorough inspection of each pair of glasses in order to see that they fit properly and are free of scratches or other issues that could hinder a person’s vision.We hope these tips for making your workplace an injury-free zone help you feel more confident in your ability to protect your employees’ eyes. By putting these practices into place, we are certain you will see an increased interest in workplace safety from your staff and a decrease in work-related eye injuries.Looking for the perfect eye protection option for your workers? Please contact us today at Phillips Safety Products for information on our laser safety glasses, radiation safety glasses, welding safety glasses, and more!