Workplace Eye Wellness Month is a March observance declared by Prevent Blindness, a national patient advocacy group focused on preventing blindness and preserving sight. The campaign covers two sides of eye health at work: protecting workers from eye injuries in physical jobs, and reducing digital eye strain for people who spend their days at screens.
For employers, eye injuries are often fast, painful and preventable. A single chip of metal, splash of chemical or burst of pressurized air can cause lasting damage. March is a good time to check that eye protection fits the hazard, is actually being worn, and that eyewash stations work.
When Is Workplace Eye Wellness Month in 2027?
Workplace Eye Wellness Month runs for all of March, from March 1 to March 31, 2027. Prevent Blindness observes it every March and usually issues an announcement and free resources in late February. See the Prevent Blindness Workplace Eye Wellness Month page for the most recent materials.
Why It Matters at Work
Eye injuries are a steady source of lost time across construction, manufacturing, agriculture, maintenance and chemical handling. In private industry in 2017, employers reported 19,390 injuries and illnesses to the eyes that involved days away from work, including 1,040 chemical burns and 240 heat burns to the eyes, according to BLS table R19. Those numbers only count cases serious enough to keep someone off the job.
Common causes include flying particles from grinding, cutting and drilling, dust and debris, chemical splashes, and harmful light from welding. NIOSH's eye safety for workers guidance stresses that the right protection depends on the nature and extent of the hazard, that eyewear must fit well with good peripheral vision, and that engineering controls such as dust controls and barriers should be used where possible. This follows the hierarchy of controls: remove the hazard first, then rely on personal protective equipment.
Office and dispatch staff face a different issue. Prevent Blindness notes that long hours of screen time can lead to digital eye strain, with symptoms such as blurred vision, dry eyes and headaches.
How to Take Part
Prevent Blindness offers free workplace eye safety fact sheets, shareable social media graphics and a workplace module in its Healthy Eyes Educational Series. Ideas for your workplace or fleet:
- Audit eye protection by task. Walk each work area and confirm the eyewear in use matches the hazard: safety glasses with side protection, goggles for splashes and dust, face shields over primary protection, and filter lenses for welding.
- Check fit and condition. Replace scratched, loose or uncomfortable eyewear. People will not wear protection that fogs or slips.
- Test eyewash stations. Confirm they are accessible, unobstructed and flushed on schedule.
- Cover the shop and the yard. Fleet technicians face battery acid, coolant, brake dust and compressed air. Drivers need eye protection when coupling, securing loads or working under vehicles.
- Help screen workers. Share tips on breaks, monitor position and lighting to reduce strain.
- Promote vision benefits. Remind employees about eye exams and any prescription safety eyewear program.
Toolbox Talk: Protect Your Eyes on the Job
Use this outline for a 5-minute toolbox talk during March.
- Name the hazards. Flying chips, dust, chemical splashes, hot sparks and welding light are all around us. Point out the ones in this area.
- Match the protection to the task. Safety glasses with side shields for flying particles, goggles for splashes and fine dust, and a face shield worn over glasses or goggles when grinding or handling chemicals.
- Wear it the whole time. Many eye injuries happen during a quick task or to someone walking past. Keep eyewear on until you leave the area.
- Keep it in good shape. Clean lenses, replace scratched or broken eyewear, and ask for a better fit if it slips or fogs.
- Know the eyewash. For a chemical splash, get to the eyewash right away and flush for as long as the SDS or your training says. Then report it and get medical care.
Discussion question: When do you find yourself taking your safety glasses off, and what would make it easier to keep them on?
Related Requirements
OSHA's eye and face protection standard, 29 CFR 1910.133, requires employers to ensure each affected employee uses appropriate eye or face protection when exposed to hazards such as flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals, acids or caustic liquids, chemical gases or vapors, or potentially injurious light radiation. Protection against flying objects must include side protection, and workers who wear prescription lenses must have protection that accommodates them. These rules sit within OSHA's broader PPE requirements, which include a workplace hazard assessment.
How SMS360 Helps
SMS360's Safety Observations module lets supervisors and workers record both at-risk and positive observations from a phone, such as someone grinding without a face shield or a crew consistently wearing goggles. You can assign corrective actions, track them to completion and use dashboards to spot patterns by site, task or shift. Logging near misses like a chip that struck safety glasses helps show where eye protection is doing its job and where it is missing.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Workplace Eye Wellness Month 2027?
Workplace Eye Wellness Month runs from March 1 to March 31, 2027. Prevent Blindness observes it every March. The group typically publishes its announcement and free resources in late February.
Who sponsors Workplace Eye Wellness Month?
Prevent Blindness declares March as Workplace Eye Wellness Month. A national patient advocacy group focused on preventing blindness, it provides free fact sheets, graphics and education for employers and employees. Its state affiliates also promote the month locally.
What eye protection does OSHA require?
OSHA requires appropriate eye or face protection when workers are exposed to eye or face hazards, based on a hazard assessment. Protection against flying objects must include side protection. The right choice depends on the task, from safety glasses to goggles to face shields worn over primary protection.
