[EricH]

Originally Posted by s_forbes

I personally think that safety glasses are a bit overdone. I totally agree with wearing safety glasses when cutting/drilling/grinding, but it just bothers me that I have to wear them when I do such dangerous tasks as putting stickers on the robot or sorting through my pocket change. This is mainly because I have prescription glasses and those huge goggles annoy the heck out of me.

OK, first off, you wear prescription glasses normally. IF they are polycarbonate, you only need side shields. That shouldn't be too hard, should it? I know of at least one person who has prescription safety glasses.

Second, just because all you are doing is, say, looking at the robot, that doesn't mean that someone else in your pit, or the neighboring pit, or the pit across the aisle is not doing something that could throw bits of material into your pit, and quite possibly into your eyes.For argument's sake, let's assume they are drilling plastic, say PVC. Now, PVC has a tendency to form a plastic mass on the drill bit, made up of "strings" of PVC, and these occaisionally fly off. (Metal does the same under certain conditions, and tends to fly off even farther.) One of those "strings" leaves a drill bit in the pit next door, and flies into your eyes at high speed before you can stop it. You are not wearing safety glasses, and it has enough momentum/energy/force to shatter your normal glasses. Now you have bits of glass in your eyes, as well as plastic. You could lose your sight.
Admittedly, this is a bit far fetched. I use it to make a point--and it could potentially happen with metal.

So, even if you don't understand the reason behind the rule, follow it. Would you rather put up with discomfort for three days, or suffer discomfort for the rest of your life?