US Virgin Islands Hotel & Tourism Association

Prevent Blindness, the nation’s oldest volunteer eye health and safety group, has declared March as Workplace Eye Wellness Month. Each day about 2000 U.S. workers have a job-related eye injury that requires medical treatment. About one third of the injuries are treated in hospital emergency departments and more than 100 of these injuries result in one or more days of lost work. Eye injuries alone cost more than $300 million per year in lost production time, medical expenses and worker compensation.

OSHA requires employers to ensure the safety of all employees in the work environment. Eye and face protection must be provided whenever necessary to protect against chemical, environmental, radiological, or mechanical irritants and hazards. In addition, workers can take a few simple steps to prevent eyestrain and fatigue. These include scheduling regular eye exams, performing work in adequate lighting, protecting eyes from UV rays while working in the sun, and taking periodic breaks to prevent strain from use of personal computers, tablets and cell phones, etc.

Although awareness of common workplace injuries and illnesses is important, it is only one small part of ensuring the health and safety of your workplace. Other parts include performing a job hazard analysis, conducting workplace accident investigations, and conducting regular safety and health inspections. For further assistance regarding this topic in the form of free consultation services, policy development, or training, please contact the UVICELL Safety in Paradise office on St. Thomas at 693-1146 or on St. Croix at 713-1619, or via email at safetyinparadise@uvi.edu. We look forward to helping you meet your safety and health needs!