| Learning how to avoid having an eye injury | | | | eyes to swell for a couple of days. There could |
| comes through training on ways of protecting | | | | have been more damaging affects if he had a |
| your vision. Unfortunately, many people must | | | | more severe allergic reaction to the fabricating |
| learn the hard way by loosing their eyesight due | | | | material. |
| to a shop related accident. There are many ways | | | | 2. Lacquer Thinner in the Eyes - This accident |
| that cabinet employees or craftsmen can injure | | | | happened when a worker was not wearing eye |
| themselves while working with machinery, wood, | | | | protection. Lacquer thinner is used a lot in plastic |
| plastics, metals, glues and chemicals. Injuries can | | | | laminate cabinet fabrication facilities. When this |
| be avoided if people will only take time to protect | | | | injury occurred, a brand new, never opened five |
| themselves from having an accident. | | | | gallon pale of lacquer thinner was under |
| In several of the cabinet shops I have worked in | | | | tremendous pressure due to the summer heat in |
| there were employees who cut their fingers and | | | | the shop. The worker was in a hurry, took the |
| some who had eye related accidents. Most of the | | | | cap off the can, and pulled the seal out that |
| time, these incidents could have been avoided by | | | | ensures that the liquid doesn't spill during transport. |
| the personnel using precautionary measures or | | | | As soon as he pulled and broke the seal allowing |
| wearing protective equipment. | | | | air in, the built up pressure caused a spew of the |
| Why in the world don't woodworkers take the | | | | chemical to go directly into his eyes. Lucky for |
| time to put on safety goggles? Well let me tell | | | | him there was a fellow worker about twenty |
| you this, when a person becomes either blind in | | | | feet away with a full gallon of clean water to |
| one eye or has a near accident, they get wise | | | | instantly flush his eyes out with. This injury did not |
| because of the horrible experience. It's sad but | | | | have a damaging effect on his eyesight. |
| true; many craftsmen don't protect their eyesight | | | | 3. Sharp Melamine Edge Almost Causes Blindness - |
| until it's too late. It seems like these safety | | | | Among the eye injuries that I have seen, on this |
| glasses are troublesome to wear because they | | | | occasion a man was going to the wood rack to |
| fog up and sometimes impair vision. | | | | pull out a board that was over his head. The |
| Better to have fogged up glasses than a blinded | | | | problem occurred when he did not see the board |
| eye. | | | | that was sticking out from a lower shelf which |
| Here are a few real life stories of injuries that | | | | had a razor sharp, hard plastic Melamine edge and |
| occurred because cabinet makers were not | | | | it barley grazed his eye. A trip to the emergency |
| wearing eye protection. | | | | room revealed that he did not do any permanent |
| 1. Dust in the Face - I'll never forget this accident | | | | damage. |
| that happened many years ago. It was in Florida | | | | In all of the above injuries, if the cabinet shop's |
| during the summertime. The cabinet shop was not | | | | workers had been wearing safety goggles or |
| air conditioned therefore we had to use very | | | | glasses, there would have ever been an |
| large industrial fans that put out a lot of air | | | | emergency room bill or a need for filling out an |
| circulation. An employee was sanding a six inch | | | | injury report for the possibility of workman's |
| high back splash that was made of pine. For some | | | | compensation Insurance claims. All of these |
| reason it was necessary for him to sand this | | | | stories could have had more damaging results due |
| piece a lot creating a significant pile of sawdust on | | | | to the carelessness of workers not wearing eye |
| the board. He did not have safety glasses on. | | | | protection. Take this statement to heart, "avoid |
| When he finished sanding the piece, hurriedly he | | | | the possibility of eye related injury by wearing |
| picked it up and swung it directly into the path of | | | | safety glasses." It's easy to eliminate health |
| the blasting fan air. Swoosh, into his open eyes | | | | hazards by just taking a moment to protect |
| the dust went causing him to scream for water | | | | yourself. |
| and help. He was OK but the pine dust caused his | | | | |