Part 1: OVERVIEW

1. The Australian National University (The ANU) has developed this procedure to promote an eye-safe workplace and to control eye hazards, minimising the risk of eye injury. Where a risk of eye injury exists, this procedure also provides information on the correct choice of eye protection.

Contents

2. This procedure contains the following parts:

Part 1: Overview

Part 2: Responsibilities

Part 3: Risk Management Process

Part 4: Signage

Part 5: Prescription Glasses

Part 6: Contact Lenses

Part 7: Emergency Procedures

Part 8: Health Surveillance

Part 9: Incident Notifications

Part 10: Definitions

A: Specific Eye Hazard Controls

B: Eye Protectors

PART 2: RESPONSIBILITIES

3. The ANU expects everyone to help eliminate eye hazards in the workplace. The University also encourages everyone to preserve eye health and address any eye-related issues with the proper medical professional.

Directors or delegated representatives

4. Directors or delegated representatives are responsible for:

• Promoting good eye health;
• Ensuring workplace inspections are conducted to identify eye hazards and protection areas;
• Helping managers identify and evaluate eye protection areas, and enforcing eye protection;
• Supporting providing proper eye protectors in eye protection areas, including those temporarily needed for visitors;
• Subsidising the cost of safety glasses with prescription lenses for those eligible;
• Providing a network of first aid attendants to manage eye injuries; and
• Providing equipment suitable to manage eye emergencies, e.g. eye wash stations.

Supervisors

5. Supervisors are responsible for:

• Promoting good eye health;
• Identifying tasks with the risk from eye injury;
• Identifying tasks that may need special visual needs (e.g. Visually demanding tasks) and seeking specialised knowledge and information;
• Designating a location as an eye protection zone where measures are needed to reduce the risk of eye injury;
• Providing suitable eye protectors and ensuring their correct use;
• Ensuring all who work in eye hazard areas receive proper training;
• Identifying personnel that may need special eye tests or access to the health surveillance program (e.g. laser users);
• Ensuring procedures are in place for maintaining all eye protectors purchased; and
• Ensuring that suitable, clear signs are located in places where eye protection must be worn.

See:   Signage

Staff, students, visitors and contractors

6. Staff, students, visitors and contractors are responsible for:

• Maintaining their own eye health and wellbeing;
• Wearing eye protection where there is a risk of eye injury and keeping it in good condition;
• Reporting any special requirements to their supervisor, e.g. eye protection with prescription lenses, if applicable;
• Reporting any issues with eye hazards or eye protection to their supervisor; and
• Reporting any eye-related injuries or visual discomfort.

PART 3: RISK MANAGEMENT PROCESS

7. Our sight and eyes are important and need protection from injury. Apply the risk management approach when considering any task or workplace.

See:  Managing OHS risk

Identify the Hazards 

8. Hazards that may affect eyes and sight include:

• Low, medium and high energy particles and materials;
• Chemical, microbiological and hot materials;
• Cryogenic liquids;
• Intense light sources (including welding);
• Radiation, including laser, ultraviolet (including welding), infrared and ionizing; and
• Sunlight.

See:   Relevant ANU Safety Courses for more information on the risks associated with eye injuries.

Assess the risk

9. Assess the risk of eye injury or effects on vision in terms of:

• Likelihood, i.e. being exposed to, or contacting, the hazard, e.g. acid splashes, flying objects, dust, through their tasks or workplace;
• Consequences, e.g. loss of eye sight, eye burns, irritation. In many cases, the protective measures in place may still result in a residual risk of injury.

See:   Managing OHS risk and ANU Safety Courses for more information on the risk assessment process.

Control the risk  

10. Where there is a likelihood of worker exposure to eye hazards, take steps to remove or reduce the exposure as far as reasonably practicable. Where this is not possible or practical, reduce the risk of injury though:

• Engineering or substitution;
• Changes to processes or materials;
• Containment of materials or harmful emissions; or
• Other methods, e.g. wear eye protectors (personal protective equipment (PPE)) where there is a risk of eye injury.

See:   Appendix B for examples of specific eye hazards and methods of control, and Appendix C for eye protectors to control the hazards arising from workshop, trade, laboratory and outdoor work (condensed from AS/NZS 1336:1997  Recommended practices for occupational eye protection).

Warning. The appendices provide suggested controls.  Discuss any significant deviation from these suggestions with OHS Branch.

Review the controls

11. Regularly review hazards and risks to the eyes, sight and vision to ensure the controls, including appropriate eye protection, reduce the risk of eye injury. Conduct a review:

• When there is a change in the workplace, e.g. a new work process; or
• At regularly scheduled times according to the risk profile of the workplace; or
• After identifying any new hazard; or
• After an incident or workplace injury.

PART 4: ILLUMINATION OF VISUAL TASKS

12. Ensure there is proper illumination for all areas undertaking visual tasks. As a rule of thumb, as the visual task becomes finer or more demanding, provide extra illumination. For further help, contact OHS Branch (ohs.officer@anu.edu.au).

PART 5: EYE PROTECTION ZONES

13. The ANU has designated specific areas within the University as eye protection zones where wearing eye protection is compulsory, including when not performing eye-hazardous work. All laboratories and workshops are eye protection zones and safety glasses must be worn at all times, e.g. safety glasses in chemical laboratories.

14. Safety glasses must be procured in consultation with affected staff. Specialist advice is available from OHS Branch.

Warning:  Under no circumstances are regular glasses a substitute for approved eye protection.

15. Eye protection signage in accordance with AS 1319-1994:Safety signs for the occupational environment should be posted to indicate eye protection zones or equipment for which users must wear eye protection. Signs should be clear and strategically placed to capture attention.

PART 6: PRESCRIPTION GLASSES

16. Where an eligible person obtains eye protection through an optometrist, the following will apply.

Note.  Staff and students are responsible for their optometrist consultation fees but may claim them back through Medicare.

17. If claiming the cost of the spectacles through the Budget Unit, the optometrist's tax invoice must include a statement that the lenses and frames comply with the appropriate Australian Standards for safety spectacles:

• AS/NZS 1336:1997 and Amdt 1:1997 Recommended practices for occupational eye protection;
• AS/NZS 1337.1:2010 Personal eye protection - Eye and face protectors for occupational applications;
• AS/NZS 1337.4:2004 Personal eye-protection - Filters and eye-protectors against laser radiation (laser eye-protectors);
• AS/NZS 1337.5:2004 Personal eye-protection - Eye-protectors for adjustment work on lasers and laser systems (laser adjustment eye-protectors);
• AS/NZS 1337.6:2007 Personal eye protection - Prescription eye protectors against low and medium impact;
• AS/NZS 1338.1:1992 Filters for eye protectors - Filters for protection against radiation generated in welding and allied operations;
• AS/NZS 1338.2:1992 Filters for eye protectors - Filters for protection against ultraviolet radiation;
• AS/NZS 1338.3:1992 Filters for eye protectors - Filters for protection against infra-red radiation; and
• AS 2228.1-1992 Spectacles - Spectacle lenses.

Warning.  Hardening of glass lenses is not recommended.

18. Employees and students should consult an optometrist at least every 2-3 years to ensure that their lens prescription is satisfactory. Some individuals, because of age or eye pathology, may need more frequent review.

19. Polycarbonate safety frames with prescription lenses (as a clip-on) may be used for protection against low-medium impact hazards and low-risk laboratory hazards. Optometrists may provide alternative safety spectacles but they must comply with the applicable Australian Standards.

Tinted or coloured lenses

20. Eye protection lenses may have a tint or colour to achieve the appropriate absorption characteristics.

21. Coloured or tinted prescription lenses should be discouraged if they provide little protective benefit. Where coloured or tinted lenses are required for medical reasons, a medical professional should provide a supportive letter to the supervisor stating that the lenses will not unduly impair the person's ability to see visual keys and warnings.

PART 7: CONTACT LENSES

22. Wearing contact lenses in dusty conditions, workshops or laboratories is not advisable. It may result in extra irritation or damage to the eye's surface when exposed to certain solvent vapours, mists or splashes. Wearers of contact lenses should discuss any issues with their optometrist and supervisor.

Warning. Contact lenses are not an eye protection device.

PART 8: EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

23. Take eye injuries seriously. Respond quickly, initially locally by the first aid attendant, and then by a medical professional.

First Aid

24. In an emergency, first aid attendants must use their skill and knowledge. For chemical eye injuries consult the Safety Data Sheet and accompany the patient to the medical professional or hospital.

See:  The University First Aid Procedure for more information on first aid requirements.

Eye wash stations

25. All designated eye protection zones, except those where the hazards are limited to radiation, should have an accessible eye wash station. Eye wash stations must meet the Australian Standard, AS 4775-2007 Emergency eyewash and shower equipment, or the ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2009 standard, and be connected to the water supply. Where the risk calls for an eye wash station, it should be plumbed to the potable water supply, tempered, and reachable within 10 seconds or less without major impediments.

26. Inspect and test eye wash stations in accordance with the manufacturers' specifications to ensure that they are free of contaminants.

PART 9: HEALTH SURVEILLANCE

27. The ANU conducts health surveillance to enable the regular monitoring of health-related issues. Currently there is no specified health surveillance related to visual tasks or eye injuries. Laser users (of Class 3 and 4) undergo pre-laser employment ophthalmic inspection to help in prognoses if there is a laser-induced injury.

28. Eyesight screening may be necessary where work contains any specific visually demanding tasks that need a prescribed standard of vision.

29. Direct any requests for eye-related medicals or health surveillance monitoring to OHS Branch.

PART 10: INCIDENT NOTIFICATIONS

30. Report all incidents on the University Incident Notification Form.

Appendix A

Definitions

This procedure employs the following definitions:

Appendix B

SPECIFIC EYE HAZARD CONTROLS

Note: PPE complements other control measures i.e. elimination, substitution, engineering and administration, to reduce the residual risk of injury.

Appendix C

EYE PROTECTORS

Reviewed May 2001, 2011.

Updated template and format.

Updated philosophy and process for eye protection requirements.

Changed wording in number 26.