Toolbox talk · Personal protective equipment
Eye and face protection
This week we are cutting, grinding, drilling and mixing, and every one of those jobs throws chips, dust or splash toward your face. An eye injury can happen in a split second and can change your life for good. Wearing the right eye and face protection every time is how we go home seeing.
Published 2026-10-23
Key points
- 1Wear safety glasses with side protection any time you are on the active work area, not just when you are running a tool. Your buddy's grinder can hit you too.
- 2Match the protection to the job. Grinding, chipping or using a cut-off saw calls for safety glasses plus a face shield, because a face shield alone does not protect your eyes.
- 3When mixing concrete, mortar or chemicals, or working overhead with dust falling, wear sealed goggles. Splash and fine dust get around regular glasses.
- 4For welding or torch cutting, use a helmet or goggles with the right shade lens for the work. Cover or screen the area so others are not flashed.
- 5Check your eye protection before you start. If lenses are cracked, deeply scratched or the frame is broken, swap them out today.
- 6If you wear prescription glasses, they are not safety glasses. Use prescription safety glasses or goggles that fit over your own glasses.
- 7If something gets in your eye, do not rub it. Flush with clean water or the eyewash right away and tell the foreman.
Talk it over
- Which tasks on this site right now throw the most chips, dust or splash, and what are we wearing for each one?
- Where is the nearest eyewash or clean water, and does everyone know how to get there fast?
- What makes you want to take your glasses off, like fogging or a bad fit, and how can we fix that?
Remember
You only get one pair of eyes, so keep your protection on the whole time you're in the work area.
Also in the other language: Protección de ojos y cara
Official sources
- 29 CFR 1926.102 — Eye and face protection
Print it with a sign-in sheet
Pro prints every talk on your letterhead with an attendance sheet, records who attended, and emails your foremen this week's talk every Monday.
See plans and pricingGeneral information, not legal advice. Templates and examples should be reviewed by a competent person before use. HardHat Binder is not affiliated with or endorsed by OSHA.