The Importance of Proper Fitting Safety Eyewear

The workforce in America is becoming increasingly diverse in both gender and ethnicity. “In 2018, there were 75,978,000 women aged 16 and over in the labor force, representing 46.9% of the total labor force. As of 2019, 57.1% of women participate in the labor force, compared to 69.1% of men,” according to Catalyst.org.

With the decrease in white non-Hispanics rising in the United States, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the number of Hispanics in the U.S. workforce will increase from 11 percent in 2000 to around 24 percent by 2050. There will also be an increase with Asian descent from 5 percent to 11 percent in the same period.

One Size Does Not Necessarily Fit All

As the trend in workforce diversification grows, providing personal protective equipment (PPE) that accurately fits individuals should become more of a focus for individual companies to ensure the best protection and performance.

With the varying sizes, structures, and facial indents that come with individuals across various ethnicities, it can be hard to provide safety eyewear that fits. For most companies, even their safety managers are not trained in properly fitting eyewear for their employees.

Having employees with ill-fitting eyewear can increase the risks in the workplace. There is a higher chance of gaps in coverage, which will allow debris to enter beneath the eyewear and into the eyes. There can be slipping, fogging, and soreness that contributes to worker distraction, leading to a worker removing their eyewear.

In recent years, awareness about the impact of ill-fitting eyewear has grown, and the focus has shifted to addressing the fitting requirements of the diverse workforce today. With some in-depth research and development, SafeVision created more refined eyewear designs. They now consider the differences in length, width, placement of ears, nose bridges, cheekbone locations, and more.

Approximately 90 percent of eye injuries are preventable by wearing proper protective eyewear. You shouldn’t underestimate the time it takes to achieve the best fit for each worker because, in the end, it will keep the employees’ vision safe and protected along with saving the employers time and money.

SafeVision has a wide selection of frames to fit each unique individual’s needs.