The Argument For Safety Glasses - Oldie But Goodie!

LEFTY -

TOPIC: SAFETY GLASSES We have half of our guys wearing safety glasses all the time. This is big. Peer pressure should bring the rest around. Hard hats are being worn more and more. Little by little we are bringing everyone around to being safety conscious. REPLIES:

OLD SCHOOL - Good for you! Safety equipment that is not being used is worthless! WYWOODY - How do you deal with the inside lens fogging up from sweat condensation. Don't tell me to staple Cor-a-vent to my forehead, I already tried that. LEFTY - That is the resistance my guys gave me. I said " once you make a commitment to wear them, you figure a way to wear them without them fogging up. There are a lot of places that you have to wear them or you do not have a job. That will be my place soon. They all figured out how to keep their job. As long as it is only an option, they will fog up. MIKE H - There are a lot of great safety glasses that don't look like safety glasses. Oakley type designs, etc, with UV blocking tints. These don't fog and there's no practical reason for a guy not to wear them when working with anything that could present a hazard, such as nail guns.

WYWOODY - Two weeks ago, we were at a jobsite that got a visit for safety glasses. One of the framers was cited for having his on the forehead while cutting. On the way down to talk to the inspector, I swapped the sunglasses I had (OSHA approved) with what the kid that works for me had on. I'm not an employee, so I'm not covered. He looked at the one the kid had (mine), and approved. I bought another pair at HD for $9. Mine don't fog up until it hits the mid-eighties, but above that it's a toss-up. Do I want to see what's about to hit me in the eye because I can't see. Somewhere I saw an ad for powered goggles, but that's a little too space-boy for me.

RRD - Mine don't fog up except in the dead of winter.

CHIPPER - You can purchase some anti-fog gel from ski shops or maybe even where you can purchase glasses. It works pretty good. I have a pair of Costa del Mars that I've been wearing everywhere for about 5 years. They've saved my eyes on several occasions. I have them in Amber so they are great in low light situations where regular sunglasses would have to come off and I'd have to have a pair of clear safety glasses. The Amber also makes a HUGE difference in driving in the rain. Like night and day.

DENNIS@ROOFERSREVIEW - Ever see those little old ladies with the huge wrap around dark sunglasses. They realized, maybe a little too late, that the sun itself was causing damage to the eyes while they were just walking around. An ounce of prevention.

MISCREANT - The only time mine fog up is when I first get out of the air conditioned truck on a humid day when it's in the 90's.

RRD - Lefty if you feel these safety features are that important, and I don't disagree, why do you not implement them? Why are only 1/2 your guys wearing safety glasses now?

I am a safety glass wearer myself. Pretty much since the fall of 1983. I had a piece of shingle grit blow in my eye as I crested the eve with a bundle of cap (back in the 3 tab days)I ended up in the ER. The doctor called in a bunch of interns to look at all the scratches on my cornea. He had me and them back 3 days later to show them how fast the cornea can heal from scratches. I started wearing safety glasses from that point on and never looked back. But I don't do hard hats or steel toed shoes.

ROOFBOSS - Here is our policy; everyone wears safety glasses always and hardhats are required going up and down the ladder and when required by the GC. Also when an overhead hazard exists (cranes, men above you, etc.)

LEFTY - RRD, I am implementing them. I want everyone to do it of their own choice. This is a better working atmosphere. I have a points program that you can accumulate 375 points every quarter. If you accumulate the 375 points you get a $100 gift certificate to anywhere that is not embarrassing for Ruth to walk in. New policies are put on the points program. After we make it mandatory, most are already doing it by their choice to get the points.

MIKE NZ - I personally wear prescription glasses which have safety glass in them so I don't need the plastic ones, I usually put the plastic ones on if I am cutting metal or concrete/brick/block with a diamond blade so that any particles don't scratch my "seeing" ones. My seeing ones have tiny metal bits embedded in them from years of not wearing the plastic ones so the risk is definitely there, I would be blind if I hadn't had anything on.

TINNER - Last year when raising my safety glasses off my face, the tag end of the strap popped me in the eye. Took 2 weeks to quit hurting.

PGRIZ - I have been after my guys to wear their harnesses, wear their hard hats, etc., and they grouch until I leave the site, then drop everything as soon as I can't see them. They are good workers, but they don't like the safety stuff, even though they all took the safety courses. They are all pretty young, and "it only happens to the other guy". However, Lefty, you're given me a good idea (OK, I'm going to "borrow" it from you (for future considerations, natch). The point system seems very intriguing.

bump.

My old man has a nasty scar on his head from that train of thought. He was working under some exposed, fascialess rafter tails and stood up without looking. I dont wear the silly things either, even when I should.

I almost knocked myself out in front of a prospective customer like that. I was walking the backside when he pops his head out of the dormer window. I kneel to talk to him for a minute. Conversation comes to an end and I stand up straight in to a 2x6 oak rafter. POW! Things were spinning, I thought I was going looney tunes after that one.

And I lost the job to a storm chaser. The guy probably thought I was accident prone.

Also, I love the smaller (think oakley) safety glasses.

The hard hat is in case a plane falls on you.

If you look at the regs, OSHA changed the hard hat rule to the ladder and below on any roof without projection after I caused a huge fuss back around'72-'73 and refuse to wear one. Whole crew joined in and tossed all of them to the ground. 2-story BUR, not even a soil pipe in acres of roof. :)

Chuck Said: I wouldnt wear safety glasses all the time working on shingle roofs. However, I do believe they should be worn when cutting ridge caps, grinding chimney mortar out, etc.

If Im on the roof, the only thing I see a hard hat doing is keeping a bird from taking a crap on the top of my head.

My old man has a nasty scar on his head from that train of thought. He was working under some exposed, fascialess rafter tails and stood up without looking. I don't wear the silly things either, even when I should.

I wouldn't wear safety glasses all the time working on shingle roofs. However, I do believe they should be worn when cutting ridge caps, grinding chimney mortar out, etc.

If I'm on the roof, the only thing I see a hard hat doing is keeping a bird from taking a crap on the top of my head.

I have no need or desire to be tied up like a dog either. One of the things I like most about my job is the freedom that comes with working outdoors on a nice spring/fall day. The wind blowing in my face/on my head unrestricted by glasses or hats. The freedom to move around without being on a leash.

By reading the above statements, one might get the idea that I'm not very safety conscious. Nothing could be farther from the truth. When a lot of guys are working on a roof together many "standard" safety precautions may be needed. However, a man with 30 years experience should know how to stay safe with every single move he makes, know all the moves that are unsafe and have the patience and good sense to not ever make any of them.