Eye Injuries and Emergency Eye Care
Construction and general industry · Ver en español
Talking points
- Eye injuries are one of the most preventable injuries in construction. Nearly every eye injury occurs when the worker was not wearing safety glasses or was wearing the wrong type.
- For particles or debris in the eye: do not rub. Flush with clean water or saline from the eyewash station for at least 15 minutes. If the object is embedded, do not attempt to remove it — cover both eyes and seek medical attention.
- For chemical splashes: flush immediately and continuously for at least 15-20 minutes. Remove contact lenses during flushing. Hold the eyelids open to ensure the water reaches all surfaces.
- For cuts or punctures to the eye: do not flush, apply pressure, or attempt to remove any object. Cover the eye gently with a rigid shield (not a patch) and get to an emergency room immediately.
- Flash burns from welding arc (arc eye) may not be felt until hours later. Symptoms include pain, tearing, and sensitivity to light. Report to medical even if symptoms are mild — flash burns can worsen.
Ask the crew
Where is the nearest eye wash station, and do you know what to do for a chemical splash vs. a particle in the eye?
Standards this talk is built on
A toolbox talk is a short safety briefing. It supports the training a standard requires; it does not replace it.
Run this talk with your crew and keep the record
In Jobsite, workers sign in on their phones in English or Spanish, and you keep who attended, when, and where, with every other talk your crew has had.
Using an AI assistant? Jobsite's free MCP server serves this library, with OSHA rule text, no sign-in: https://jobsitecerts.com/api/mcp/public (/mcp)
Sign-in sheet
Print this page to collect signatures, or run the talk in Jobsite and workers sign in on their phones.
| Name | Signature | Date |
|---|---|---|
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