Let’s Talk Safety: Eyes on Safety

This column addresses safety issues of interest to water and wastewater personnel, and will appear monthly in the magazine. The Journal is also interested in receiving any articles on the subject of safety that it can share with readers in the “Spotlight on Safety” column.

Eyes on Safety

Nearly 500,000 eye injuries occur in the workplace every year in the United States. Experts say that 90 percent of those injuries could have been avoided if workers were more safety conscious and if they used the proper eye protection.

Breaking down these injuries, it adds up to more than 2,000 work-related eye injuries each day! Most injuries occurred while the workers were performing their regular jobs. Of those injuries, between 10 and 20 percent are disabling. This means the damage to one or both eyes was serious enough to result in temporary or even permanent loss of sight.

Besides serious eye injuries, some workers may also be at risk of developing diseases from eye exposure. Some infectious diseases can be transmitted through the mucous membranes of the eye. Direct exposure to blood splashes, respiratory droplets from coughing, or from touching the eyes with contaminated fingers or other objects are often culprits. The good news is that safety experts and eye doctors believe that eye protection can lessen the severity of eye injuries, and in some cases, even prevent them.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports that the majority of employees who injure their eyes either were not wearing any eye protection at the time of their accidents or were not wearing the right kind of protective eyewear for the particular job.

Workplace Injuries

The top causes of eye injuries in the workplace are: S Flying objects (bits of metal and glass) S Tools S Dust and small particles S Chemicals and thermal burns S Harmful radiation S A combination of these or other hazards

Protective Eyewear Basics

Follow these basic safety tips to help prevent eye injuries: S Always wear the proper eye-safety gear. There are several types from which to choose, depending on the task you are performing: • Glasses • Goggles • Face shields • Welding helmets S Follow all operating procedures correctly. S Know where the first aid and eye cleaning stations are located and how to use them properly. S Always wear safety gloves and wash your hands after touching chemicals to prevent accidentally rubbing harmful substances into your eyes. S Do not assume that wearing regular eyeglasses will protect your eyes. Regular eyeglasses are not designed for protection, and often they won’t. Don’t chance it. S Make sure all protective eyewear fits properly and is not damaged. If it has been damaged, throw it away immediately.

Protective eyewear should be made of polycarbonate plastic. If you are working with liquids, your goggles should be splash-proof. Never rely on eyewear that is not designed for safety, such as reading glasses or sunglasses.

So why don’t workers use protective eyewear when there’s so much at risk? Researchers at Liberty Mutual Insurance found that the top issues cited are: S Discomfort or poor fit S Lack of availability S Wrong style S Inconvenience S Interference with eyeglasses S Cost S Inappropriateness for the task

In addition, they’ve learned that workers tend to skip eye protection if they don’t perceive the task to be high-risk, if it will only take a short time to complete, or if the employer doesn’t provide the right eyewear along with consistent encouragement, training, and enforcement that stresses a safety culture in the workplace.

Don’t make excuses, and don’t be one of the workers who thought it would never happen to them. A workplace eye injury can threaten your vision, your employment, or both.

Do You Work a Desk Job?

You’re likely sitting in front of a computer most days and have begun to realize that blue light is a real thing. Digital eye strain emitted from screens is the culprit. Thankfully, there are several potential solutions. S Computer glasses with special lenses or lens coatings can help filter blue light emitted from screens. Talk to your eye doctor about these lenses if you spend two or more hours a day in front of a screen or under an LED light. S Limit screen time before bed. Ideally, put away your devices a couple of hours before you retire for the night.

By following a few safety precautions, you can greatly reduce your risk of eye injury. It takes only a few moments to think “eye safety” and put on safety goggles. A few seconds of eye protection could save you a lifetime of problems.

For additional information go to the Prevent Blindness website at www. preventblindness.org. S

1. C) nonbeneficial surface water

discharges.

Per 403.064(17), “By Nov. 1, 2021, domestic wastewater utilities that dispose of effluent, reclaimed water, or reuse water by surface water discharge shall submit to the department for review and approval a plan for eliminating nonbeneficial surface water discharge by Jan. 1, 2032, subject to the requirements of this section.”

2. C) Nine months

Per 403.064(17)(b), “The department shall approve or deny a plan within nine months after receiving the plan. A utility may modify the plan by submitting such modification to the department; however, the plan may not be modified such that the requirements of this subsection are not met, and the department may not extend the time within which a plan will be implemented. The approval of the plan or a modification by the department does not constitute final agency action.”

3. B) Jan. 1, 2032

Per 403.064(17)(c), “A utility shall fully implement the approved plan by Jan. 1, 2032.” Per 403.064(17)(d), “If a plan is not timely submitted by a utility or approved by the department, the utility’s domestic wastewater treatment facilities may not dispose of effluent, reclaimed water, or reuse water by surface water discharge after Jan. 1, 2028. A violation of this paragraph is subject to administrative and civil penalties pursuant to ss. 403.121, 403.131, and 403.141.”

5. A) The discharge is associated

with an indirect potable reuse project.

Per 403.064(17)(a)1., “The department shall approve a plan that includes all of the information required under this subsection as meeting the requirements of this section if one or more of the following conditions are met: 1. The plan will result in eliminating the surface water discharge.”

6. D) 90 percent

Per 403.064(17)(a)2.d., “The department shall approve a plan that includes all of the information required under this subsection as meeting the requirements of this section if one or more of the following conditions are met: The utility operates domestic wastewater treatment facilities with reuse systems that reuse a minimum of 90 percent of a facility’s annual average flow, as determined by the department using monitoring data for the prior five consecutive years, for reuse purposes authorized by the department.” 7. C) Facilities located in

municipalities with less than $10 million in annual revenue.

Per 403.064(17)(g)3., “This subsection does not apply to any of the following: 1. A domestic wastewater treatment facility that is located in a fiscally constrained county as described in s. 218.67(1). 2. A domestic wastewater treatment facility that is located in a municipality that is entirely within a rural area of opportunity as designated pursuant to s. 288.0656. 3. A domestic wastewater treatment facility that is located in a municipality that has less than $10 million in total revenue, as determined by the municipality’s most recent annual financial report submitted to the Department of Financial Services in accordance with s. 218.32.”

8. C) Dec. 31, 2023

Per 403.064(18)(e), “The department and the water management districts shall develop and execute, by Dec. 31, 2023, a memorandum of agreement providing for the procedural requirements of a coordinated review of all permits associated with the construction and operation of an indirect potable reuse project. The memorandum of agreement must provide that the coordinated review will occur only if requested by a permittee. The purpose of the coordinated review is to share information, avoid the redundancy of information requested from the permittee, and ensure consistency in the permit for the protection of the public health and the environment.” Per 403.064(17)(f), “By Dec. 31, 2021, and annually thereafter, the department shall submit a report to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, which provides the average gallons per day of effluent, reclaimed water, or reuse water that will no longer be discharged into surface waters by the utility and the dates of such elimination; the average gallons per day of surface water discharges that will continue in accordance with the alternatives provided in subparagraphs (a) 2. and 3., and the level of treatment that the effluent, reclaimed water, or reuse water will receive before being discharged into a surface water by each alternative and utility; and any modified or new plans submitted by a utility since the last report.”

10. A) contaminants of emerging

concern.

Per 403.064(18)(a), “By Dec. 31, 2020, the department shall initiate rule revisions based on the recommendations of the Potable Reuse Commission’s 2020 report ‘Advancing Potable Reuse in Florida: Framework for the Implementation of Potable Reuse in Florida.’ Rules for potable reuse projects must address contaminants of emerging concern and meet or exceed federal and state drinking water quality standards and other applicable water quality standards. Reclaimed water is deemed a water source for public water supply systems.”

Got Leaks?

Interested in a proactive approach to fighting water loss and the ability to actually see how much you can gain if you could reliably detect leaks within your distribution network?

Contact your local Kamstrup Regional Sales Manager to learn more.

kamstrup.com/ald-us

Christian McGarrigle Regional Market Sales Manager CMG@kamstrup.com 678-727-6863 Jody Cline Regional Distribution Sales Manager JOCL@kamstrup.com 850-557-0145