Although the numbers affected may be small, not many realise that it is the UV aspect of the light spectum that is most damagong during an eclipse and nothing wrong with issuing a gentle advisory.


Solar retinopathy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_retinopathy


UK hospitals assess eye damage after solar eclipse--an article in BMJ
http://www.bmj.com/content/319/7208/469.1.full

But listen, don't some of you, being good advisers, give staff advice on back pain, tiredness, drugs and alcohol ??? And isn't most of that advice just 'common knowledge' ? Same with ice in winter and eclipses of the sun; these conditions DO result in injury so it must be best practice to give timely advice!

The reason why people suffer from eye damage dur an ecllipse is that the event is unusual one off and so they do not have a chance to develop any sort of common sense and we have to rely of collective wisdom.
When the sun goes into darkness the eye adapts to this low level of light. People are generally unaware just how good the human eye is at doing this. Unfortunately when the sun emerges from the eclipse this takes place quite quickly and if you are looking directly at the sun the eye does not have a chance to adapt to the suddenly increasing light levels, which is what causes the damage.
So a little bit of friendly advise will not go amiss IMHO.

Better still, lets see if 'we' H&S bods can get their employees to concentrate on the issues that really cause the 'hurt'...... I remember a few years ago now being asked to produce a SSOW / Policy / Procedure / paperwork for staff working in an office block and the dangers of earth tremors / earth quakes - after the media had scared the pants off everybody. Upon having a quick word with the company it was apparrant that no manual handling training or RA's had been completed, similarly no FLT checks and no CoSHH assessments....... bogged down in trivia missing the big picture, a common failing.

I live in Eastbourne, sunniest place in the UK and the busiest place for people jumping off cliffs as it happens .... just saying....

make sure you issue guidance on using this kit, it'll be in no way patronising! :)

I am amazed by some people’s attitudes here. It is not surprising that H&S has a bad rep in some quarters.
Our job is to help people at work; to make sure that they get home without being injured or made ill. We do this by identifying possible risks and taking appropriate measures to deal with them. All agreed but I think but then everyone suddenly has their own favourite hazards and anything that does not fit in to this limited number of risk is just pointless ‘elf and safety’ and should not be thought about or considered. If an unusual risk appears people often seem to poo-poo it out of hand, rather thank asking themselves is it significant and is there something that we can do about it. So yes if an eclipse is due there is nothing wrong with sending out a simple message reminding people not to look at the sun-it costs nothing and might, just might save someone’s eyesight. But for some people if it’s not WAH or machinery or whatever it’s not Health and Safety and nothing to do with them.
In my job I have had to look at all sorts of risks including the likelihood of Ebola virus being carried on imported bananas, inspectors being chased irate land owners in woodlands, whether it was appropriate a clown on a motor scooter to ride around a lecture theatre, did people need a COSHH assessment to raise worms from the soil using mustard powder, and whether the annual Shrove Tuesday pancake race should take place if the ground was wet.
All are risks which had to be evaluated. In most cases the resolution was not difficult but the process had to be carried out to make sure that we did our duty to our staff.

Whole-heartedly agree AKurdziel.

Oh, and your job is evidently more eventful than mine :o) even fun!!

For me, oh how boring engineering workshops and roadworks are :o(

Whilst I do not consider this to be an issue which needs specific health and safety management, I am very disappointed with some of the patronising responses on this thread to the initial question.

The questioner has asked for help or guidance from colleagues on a specific issue and as such I would expect contributors to reply in a helpful and professional manner.

Totally agree. Good post.

In response to AlanD76, I do sympathise with the feeling in your message above, but the answer to all this is in your response.

You have said



So, keeping things in proportion, next week devote 99% of your time on significant hazards and issues on site, and just 1%, or even less, to communicate effectively to your staff about the potential hazards of the partial eclipse. It will take less time than you spent writing the message you wrote above....

(Y) = in Facebook that would be a thumbs-up :o)

Agreed!

Frankly, offering advice to grown adults about not looking at the sun is simply playing into the Daily Mail mindset of 'elf n' safety' gone mad!
Messages like this detract from, and dilute, the real safety issues in the workplace and devalue H+S in the workplace.

Victor, so maybe most of your 3400 employees were unaware of the hazards of eclipse observation and that's why nobody asked :o)

Anyway, this thread just goes to show that some people here spend too long dwelling on the less significant issues. I decided what to do on 5th March yet there are still people posting here saying 'why?'

I think most people on here would agree that Pro Active is the way to be rather that waiting for the event then chasing ones tail investigating why it went pear shaped.

To add, during an eclipse people do not look at the sun they watch the eclipse. The sun and the hazards associated with it are a consequence of the eclipse that people get caught out with.

Health and safety already has a bad name. As long as you lot continue to nanny people and wrap them up in cotton wool the general opinion that a lot of people have of H and S advisors will continue to be negative.

Oh no here comes that know it all H and S person, I wonder what condescending advice they will give me today!

Seriously you all would do well to look up the meaning of significant...and work related!!

If that is the sort of safety culture you work in then there's a serious need to rethink how you work with employees?

I agree with Jay's comments. My main client's commitment to Well-Being is audited by the city council, and we consult with employees on many non-work-related matters.

Our safety notice boards are not just full of warnings and statistics, they are quite fun to read!

Victor, It is encouraging to see you do accept weather as a hazard at work. The sun can be a hazard and our roof installers are provided with sun cream when the conditions of strong sunlight are present. Equally employees whose work may not normally be impacted by sunlight will possibly be at increased risk during an eclipse, they will naturally be inquisitive, so some advice is a good idea.

Invevitable...all a bit sad really.

Maybe when h&s people stop being condescending and treating the general population in a nanny-ish manner, them the likes of the DM will stop writing bad stories about h&s people.

I don't usually defend the Daily Mail but if you read the article they are merely reporting the fact that it is the school that has banned the kids from watching the eclipse, not the DM.