By Ethan Benedicto
With Tradies Health Awareness Month fast approaching, there has been strong advocacy for eye safety, with Berwick alone recording roughly 6723 tradespeople that could be putting their vision at risk.
The statistic follows Specsavers’ research on unsafe practices taking place in workplaces, with the City of Casey having roughly 52,000 tradies potentially undermining the importance of eye health.
State-wide, the report found that over half, 64 per cent, of Victorian tradies admit to wearing everyday sunglasses instead of protective eyewear while at the worksite.
Local Berwick optometrist Ryan Lang said that “while we encourage wearing sunglasses with UV protection when outside, they are not a substitute”.
“We are urging tradies to take their eye safety seriously and be sure to take preventative measures on the worksite to protect their eyesight.”
The report also found that 68 per cent of tradies have witnessed an eye injury or hazard on the job, with 42 per cent acquiring said injury with the requirement of further medical attention.
Narre Warren tradie, Michael M., said that workplace safety is an important part of his on-site routine, safety glasses included; however, he also admitted that many others tend to forgo its importance due to convenience.
“It’s mainly convenience, having everything on you at the end of the day, safety glasses is sort of at the bottom of the list.
“You’ve got your tools, your tool bag, ear protection, lunch and then eyewear,” Michael said.
At a personal level, eye protection has been at the forefront of Michael’s mind, and even more so after a small piece of metal found its way into his right eye late last year.
“I was using my metal grinder, cutting some stuff off a metal stud and a piece of it went over my glasses and straight into my eye,” he said.
While the injury wasn’t major with only a small scar on his iris, Michael has since been more vigilant with keeping his eyes safe.
Optometrist Lang added that safety glasses need to be seriously considered and that they are “fit for purpose” on the work site.
“They provide essential eye protection against hazards such as flying debris and dust and even chemical splashes, significantly reducing the risk of eye injuries.
“This simple preventative measure can save you from experiencing vision loss fro injury or subsequent infection,” he said.
The research added that 81 per cent of tradies have seen others wear regular sunglasses when performing jobs like drilling (42 per cent), sawing (35 per cent) and jack-hammering (23 per cent).
Michael contributes the lack of proper eyewear to the generational divide, adding that younger tradies tend to be more cognisant of the importance of eye safety.
“I see a lot of tradies my age wear them [safety glasses] a lot more, they’re more aware of safety because they’ve watched others, or had tradie parents go through injuries and they’re like ‘I’m not going to do that’,” he said.
“It’s very much just, we watch out parents do things and you see them go, ‘oh I messed my back up at work’, and it’s like, well okay when I’m in the same field I don’t want to screw my back up so I’m not going to do what my dad or mum did.”
Furthermore, of all tradies who received eye-related injuries, 75 per cent admitted to wearing normal sunglasses instead of safety glasses.
“Health professionals want tradies to know that prevention is always better than cure,” Mr Lang said.
