Seeing a Culture Shift with Eye Safety
Eye protection is required PPE for Gaines and Company employees, protecting employees’ eyes from common construction-related hazards.
Have you ever had a speck of dirt fly into your eye while working outside? It’s bothersome, isn’t it? As an industry-leader in site development operations, Gaines and Company employees play and work in the dirt every day. We understand how dirt, chemicals, and other debris can be harmful to our eyes, which is why it is our mission to prevent eye injuries for all our employees.
About 2,000 workers injure their eyes at work each day. Experts believe that 90% of these injuries could have been prevented by wearing appropriate eye protection – such as safety glasses, goggles, face shields, and welding helmets. Gaines and Company provides employees with appropriate eye protection and requires that it is worn during operations that expose employees to eye hazards.
Gaines and Company provides and mandates eye protection for employees exposed to eye hazards, including flying particles, liquid chemicals, and potentially injurious light radiation.
“It was my goal when I first came to Gaines and Company to emphasize the importance of eye safety,” said Safety Director Dominic Pope. “Our safety statistics prove we have been successful in doing just that.”
How did we do it?
“Training, training, training. The more we talked about eye protection, the more I noticed crews reminding each other to put on their safety glasses,” said Dominic. “When crews reiterate safety messages on their own, I know we have successfully created a shift in our safety culture.”
What to Know About Eye Safety
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the following symptoms indicate an eye injury that needs immediate medical attention:
- The person has obvious pain or trouble seeing;
- The person has a cut or torn eyelid;
- One eye does not move as well as the other;
- One eye sticks out compared to the other;
- The eye has an unusual pupil size or shape;
- There is blood in the clear part of the eye;
- The person has something in the eye or under the eyelid that can’t be easily removed.
If an employee is experiencing any of these symptoms, provide appropriate first-aid and seek immediate medical attention.
“I am proud of the shift our organization made to not only keep each other safer each day, but uphold our reputation of being a leading and successful site development organization in the Mid-Atlantic region,” added Dominic.
About Gaines and Company
Gaines and Company Site Development is a full-service site development company specializing in underground utilities, grading, excavating, erosion controls, and road work. With 70 years of experience, the organization serves home builders and developers, general contractors, and military installations, as well as state, federal and municipal authorities, throughout Maryland, North Carolina, Washington D.C., and Delaware.
