The Importance of Eye Protection in Masonry

Words: Justus Everett
Photos: MCAA

There are few stereotypes more iconic than the image of a construction worker wearing a hard hat and safety glasses. Protective glasses are among the most common items worn by workers in the masonry field, second only to the hard hat. According to OSHA, workers are required to wear safety glasses when there is a risk of flying debris, chemical vapors or gases, molten metal, liquid chemicals, acids or caustic liquids, or exposure to injurious light radiation.

I’ll be honest: in the Texas summer where I live and work, the wind can blow enough grit and sand around to warrant safety glasses. I’m pretty sure sand and grit in the wind count as flying debris. Seriously, though, some may be surprised to learn that safety glasses are not always required according to OSHA. If you're not working in an environment with the hazards listed above, safety glasses may not be necessary. However, in masonry, safety glasses are needed in most circumstances. Let’s go over the different situations in our industry where eye protection is essential.

Laborers, Bricklayers, and Masons
These roles are the backbone of the masonry industry; it wouldn’t survive without them. Eye protection is a necessity for all these workers. I’ve seen masons chipping stone and sending shards of rock flying through the air like shrapnel. The same goes for bricklayers working with concrete block or brick. Laborers use hammers, drills, saws (we’ll get to those), grout, and mortar, all of which can potentially get into the eyes.

Saws
This one should be obvious. Anyone operating a saw needs eye and face protection. The average 20-inch diamond saw blade spins at around 3,000 RPM (revolutions per minute), which should make it a no-brainer to wear both safety glasses and a face shield. When an object is spinning 3,000 times per minute, proper protection is a must.

Mixer
This should also be obvious. When mixing mortar, grout, and sand, you need something to keep all that out of your eyes. Grout and mortar are essentially powders mixed with water and sand, and I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen huge dust clouds of dry mortar dust on job sites, or mixers walled off with plastic. I’ve seen a man working a mixer wearing a full-body suit, completely covered in mortar. Mortar and grout are basically concrete and can cause chemical burns and irritation; best to keep that out of your eyes. In times past, we had regular trips to the clinic from wet mortar splashing into someone’s eye. Eye protection has stopped these injuries.

Kinds of Safety Glasses
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve walked onto a job and seen workers wearing sunglasses that make them look like extras from Top Gun, and I must explain that not all glasses are created equal. Safety glasses can be sunglasses, but not all sunglasses are safety glasses. Aviator glasses are not safety glasses, nor are generic prescription glasses. If you’re wondering how to tell which sunglasses are suitable for protection, look for the code starting with “Z87,” usually found on the side of the glasses. If it doesn’t have that code, it’s not fit for masonry work.

Prescription Glasses
As mentioned above, standard prescription glasses are not strong enough to be used as eye protection on the job site, especially in masonry. However, there are special prescription glasses that meet safety standards. Most of these require side shields, which normally come with the safety frames. Some models come with built-in shields. Either way, look for the Z87 markings.

Conclusion
Safety glasses are a major part of construction and, in my opinion, an essential part of masonry. Of course, OSHA has the final say, and they state that safety glasses are not required unless specific conditions are present. But in masonry, those conditions are almost always present. You’re never going to escape flying debris, chemicals, acids, and similar hazards. We’re always chipping rock, cutting with saws, mixing mud and grout, and where I live in Texas, the heat makes the ground dusty enough that safety glasses are only partially effective.

In masonry, glasses are needed. According to the Statistical Brief, there are over 2.5 million eye injuries each year. And according to NIOSH, over 10,600 eye injuries result in absences from work annually. We only get two eyes. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather keep both of mine in good working order.

Let’s all do the smart thing and wear our protective glasses. Being annoyed by safety glasses is better than injuring yourself or losing an eye.

Please, stay safe, arrive home better than how you left, and try not to lose an eye.

The Importance of Eye Protection in Masonry

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