Hidden Costs of Eye Injuries

Not Having a Prescription Safety Eyewear Program
Could Be Hazardous To Your Bottom Line!

Why have an eye safety program?

The reasons for having a safety eyewear program are apparent: For one thing, the law says you must if there are any dangers of flying particles. Plus there are the costs that could be incurred as a result of an injury. Certainly, most businesses operate in hopes of generating a profit. Controlling expenses is one way of helping to increase the overall profitability of a company.


First, there are the insured costs:

· Insurance premiums: health care, disability and property damage.

· Worker’s compensation

But there are also the “hidden” costs. You must consider the total cost of an injury, not just the ones you can readily identify.

The uninsured (hidden) costs:

· Wages paid for time lost by the uninjured workers.

· Cost of damage to material and equipment.

· Cost of wages paid for time lost by the injured worker.

(Other than that paid by workmans compensation)

· Extra cost of overtime work necessitated by the accident.

· Cost of wages paid to the supervisors for time spent on the accident investigation.

· Wage cost caused by decreased output of injured worker after return to work.

· Cost of learning period of new replacement worker.

· Uninsured medical cost borne by the company (those caring for the injured worker)

· Cost of time spent by management and clerical workers on investigations or in the processing of compensation application forms.

· Other costs such as; equipment rental, contracts lost, bonus loss, litigation.


There’s no doubt about it, an effective eye safety program will definitely help to minimize your worker’s compensation claims. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the average cost of a disabling eye injury at $2,949 in indemnity compensation and $994 for medical payments – at total of $3,943. This results in a total cost to American industry of $354,870,000 per year. This figure does not include other indirect costs that were identified in the list above.

The average cost of the prescription safety eyewear is approximately $65. That means 60 employees could be provided with prescription safety glasses for the “unhidden” costs of just one eye injury!

What the law says about it:

As part of the OSHA audit process, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) programs are evaluated in terms of compliance to the established standards. If a company’s safety program is not being administrated correctly, the OSHA inspector has the ability to impose fines for non-compliance. These fines directly affect the bottom line of a business and are especially annoying because they could all be avoided with the proper safety programs.

The OSHA regulation you should refer to for a better understanding of the law is 29CFR1910.133. See the Titmus Guide for the Employer for a personal copy.

Understanding the ANSI Z87 standards:

So often, employees are found to be wearing dress frames with polycarbonate lenses. Then they find a pair of side shields that appear to fit the frame thinking that they are meeting OSHA’s requirements. The OSHA regulations refer to the ANSI Z87 standards for eye and face protection.

Frames, lenses and shields are all tested to ensure they meet the ANSI Z87 standards. Side shields are DESIGNED to provide impact resistance with the intention of protecting the wearer. The shields are shot, while on the frame, which is mounted to a head form, with a ¼ steel ball at a speed of 150 feet per second while the frame is turned at different angles. If the shields are not designed to properly fit the frame, they may suffer fractures or even break.

Safety lenses must meet special requirements both in the manufacture and testing in order to meet the ANSI Z87 requirement for safety.

Both plano (non-prescription) and prescription lenses must meet those requirements before they can be monogrammed with the manufacturer’s logo. The logo must be on the lenses to show they meet the ANSI standards. This logo enables identification of the manufacturer, which in the case of prescription lenses, is the laboratory.

And added benefit:

Another benefit to having an eye safety program is that safety programs are very important to the well-being of employees. It is human nature to avoid causing harm or injury to ourselves. For this reason, companies that promote and advocate safety create a feeling among workers that they care about their personal health and well-being. Aside from all of the previously mentioned reason for establishing an eye safety program, it is the law!



The above information was provided by:

Titmus Optical, Inc.
3811 Corporate Drive
Petersburg, VA 23805