Uploaded November 2012 | Updated September 2026, 13 hours ago
Industrial eye hazards are covered in this clip from a 1933 silent teaching film. We see a man working in a factory furnace with molten sparks flying around him, marble cutters working on a war memorial and a man working at an emery wheel without goggles. He gets something in his eye and has to visit a clinic. The segment ends with shots of a very busy waiting room at an eye clinic and shots of patients having their eyes tested. 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. The majority of these injuries result from small particles or objects striking or abrading the eye. Examples include metal slivers, wood chips, dust, and cement chips that are ejected by tools, wind blown, or fall from above a worker. Some of these objects, such as nails, staples, or slivers of wood or metal penetrate the eyeball and result in a permanent loss of vision. Large objects may also strike the eye/face, or a worker may run into an object causing blunt force trauma to the eyeball or eye socket. Chemical burns to one or both eyes from splashes of industrial chemicals or cleaning products are common. Thermal burns to the eye occur as well. Among welders, their assistants, and nearby workers, UV radiation burns (welder's flash) routinely damage workers' eyes and surrounding tissue. In addition to common eye injuries, health care workers, laboratory staff, janitorial workers, animal handlers, and other workers may be at risk of acquiring infectious diseases via ocular exposure. Infectious diseases can be transmitted through the mucous membranes of the eye as a result of direct exposure (e.g., blood splashes, respiratory droplets generated during coughing or suctioning) or from touching the eyes with contaminated fingers or other objects. The infections may result in relatively minor conjunctivitis or reddening/soreness of the eye or in a life threatening disease such as HIV, B virus, or possibly even avian influenza. Engineering controls should be used to reduce eye injuries and to protect against ocular infection exposures. Personal protective eyewear, such as goggles, face shields, safety glasses, or full face respirators must also be used when an eye hazard exists. The eye protection chosen for specific work situations depends upon the nature and extent of the hazard, the circumstances of exposure, other protective equipment used, and personal vision needs. Eye protection should be fit to an individual or adjustable to provide appropriate coverage. It should be comfortable and allow for sufficientperipheral vision. Selection of protective eyewear appropriate for a given task should be made based on a hazard assessment of each activity, including regulatory requirements when applicable. For more, go to the NIOSH Eye Safety website, cdc.gov/niosh/topics/eye/. This is clipped from the1933 film - Preventing blindness and saving sight -produced by Eastman Teaching Films in cooperation with the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness, Rufus and Winifred Mather and the American University of Cairo, Egypt. The film aimed to provide information on the importance of eye care, this film provides a broad survey of eye care and medical conditions affecting the eye, illustrated by human examples. Part of the film is devoted to trachoma and glaucoma. The entire 20 minutes film is available at the Wellcome Library at library.wellcome.ac.uk/index.html.
Industrial eye hazards are covered in this clip from a 1933 silent teaching film. We see a man working in a factory furnace with molten sparks flying around him, marble cutters working on a war memorial and a man working at an emery wheel without goggles. He gets something in his eye and has to visit a clinic. The segment ends with shots of a very busy waiting room at an eye clinic and shots of patients having their eyes tested. 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. The majority of these injuries result from small particles or objects striking or abrading the eye. Examples include metal slivers, wood chips, dust, and cement chips that are ejected by tools, wind blown, or fall from above a worker. Some of these objects, such as nails, staples, or slivers of wood or metal penetrate the eyeball and result in a permanent loss of vision. Large objects may also strike the eye/face, or a worker may run into an object causing blunt force trauma to the eyeball or eye socket. Chemical burns to one or both eyes from splashes of industrial chemicals or cleaning products are common. Thermal burns to the eye occur as well. Among welders, their assistants, and nearby workers, UV radiation burns (welder's flash) routinely damage workers' eyes and surrounding tissue. In addition to common eye injuries, health care workers, laboratory staff, janitorial workers, animal handlers, and other workers may be at risk of acquiring infectious diseases via ocular exposure. Infectious diseases can be transmitted through the mucous membranes of the eye as a result of direct exposure (e.g., blood splashes, respiratory droplets generated during coughing or suctioning) or from touching the eyes with contaminated fingers or other objects. The infections may result in relatively minor conjunctivitis or reddening/soreness of the eye or in a life threatening disease such as HIV, B virus, or possibly even avian influenza. Engineering controls should be used to reduce eye injuries and to protect against ocular infection exposures. Personal protective eyewear, such as goggles, face shields, safety glasses, or full face respirators must also be used when an eye hazard exists. The eye protection chosen for specific work situations depends upon the nature and extent of the hazard, the circumstances of exposure, other protective equipment used, and personal vision needs. Eye protection should be fit to an individual or adjustable to provide appropriate coverage. It should be comfortable and allow for sufficientperipheral vision. Selection of protective eyewear appropriate for a given task should be made based on a hazard assessment of each activity, including regulatory requirements when applicable. For more, go to the NIOSH Eye Safety website, cdc.gov/niosh/topics/eye/. This is clipped from the1933 film - Preventing blindness and saving sight -produced by Eastman Teaching Films in cooperation with the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness, Rufus and Winifred Mather and the American University of Cairo, Egypt. The film aimed to provide information on the importance of eye care, this film provides a broad survey of eye care and medical conditions affecting the eye, illustrated by human examples. Part of the film is devoted to trachoma and glaucoma. The entire 20 minutes film is available at the Wellcome Library at library.wellcome.ac.uk/index.html.
