My last two Notes to Self addressed wearing proper PPE to protect our hands and ears, but there’s one more area we must protect: our eyes.

Always make safety glasses and goggles part of the personal inventory you keep in your ditty bag. Eyesight is a fragile thing, and if not properly protected, it can be taken away in an instant. I speak from experience. I lost an eye when I was 18.
 
There are so many situations during which we should wear eye protection: cutting up a car, operating a saw, mowing the lawn at the station, performing overhaul, treating some patients, etc. Remember, the faceshields on our helmets provide limited protection. In fact, in general, industry faceshields are not eye protection; they simply provide some protection to the face. You must wear safety glasses or goggles under faceshields to really protect yourself.
 
The bottom line: If you think there is even the possibility that you could get something in your eye, wear eye protection. Trust me — you’ll thank me later.