A SHARPER FOCUS ON EYE SAFETY AT SEA Published: 13 January 2026 Eye injuries remain one of the most common injury types that are handled by the Club. Most injuries occur to personnel engaged in a task such as using power or hand tools, welding, or handling harmful powders or liquids, as well as cargoes. However, there are many examples of personnel who were in the vicinity of other work being carried out and were injured accidentally.  In many cases reviewed, no personal protective equipment (PPE) for the eyes or face was worn, almost always by the injured person’s choice. Often the works being carried out were routine or considered simple, quick tasks, where the risk of injury was not perceived or appreciated. In some cases, personnel chose not to wear eye protection, due to personal dislike or the uncomfortable nature of the eye protection available. Analysis also indicates that eye injuries occur across all ranks and experience levels. Another area of concern are the safety guards fitted to tools and machinery to reduce the chances of material being thrown towards an equipment operator. On occasion these are found to be missing or inadequate during condition surveys or following an incident. Risk Assessment All shipboard tasks should be risk assessed, and the possibility of personal injury both for those taking part in the task and others not involved should always be considered. Where able, the best option is to prevent personnel being put at risk at all. If the specific task can be replaced by an engineered solution, for example installing fixed piping rather than relying on manual handling of liquid drums, this will reduce the chances of eye injuries. However, realistically, many tasks will always require at least one person to be close enough to a work activity where injury to the eyes is possible. For this reason, PPE, often called the last line of defence, is necessary. The risk assessment for each task should consider the danger posed to eyes and deta