No contact lenses for tanker drivers?

I've been asked to wear safety glasses on docks as both a dry van and reefer driver as well. Did it today, in fact (dry van LTL).

 

One word: fumes.

You may not get splashed with liquid, but a high concentration of the fumes will still burn your eyes, skin, and start melting plastic (ie. your contact lenses).

If you just can't wear glasses and still want to haul tanker Hazmat, get Lasic surgery. Otherwise haul food grade tanker or consider something else.

Contacts in high wind in dusty situations can put you in danger, even with goggles on a flatbed. The last thing you want is to get blinded in excruciating pain during a delicate loading procedure with a multi ton piece and your hands are covered in grease and oil in spite of your gloves.

 

I worked for Schneider Bulk for almost 3 years and only wore my glasses when I unloaded..............okay, okay I wore my contacts then too. OP who do you think is going to check on this? Do you think every person at Schneider is going to be familiar with your medical history and yell at you when they don't see glasses?

Nobody is going to care. Yes, if you have a spill and somehow product gets in your googles and safety somehow finds out you were wearing contacts then maybe you have a problem.

Learn when rules are real rules. Like Chinatown said, say OK then do what you want.

Here are some typical non enforceable rules that companies love putting in their handbooks.

1. Must wear glasses. (Like anyone is going to check)
2. No cell phone use. (Will literally be broken a hundred times a day on the freakin yard right in front of management and nobody will care)
3. No tobacco in the trucks. (Again blatantly broken)
4. No inverters over 150 watts. (So long as it can plug into your 12v outlet, how could they possibly catch you, simply put it away. And that's even if the maintenance guy cares.
5. No shorts. (And who is checking on this out on the road)

You have to learn what are real rules and what rules are designed to make some office guy feel better. Always ask yourself; how are they going to check?

 

3 tours in Iraq including the famous dust storm of 03, over 20 IED hits, multiple types of random unknown fumes and every day I wore contacts with absolutely zero problems. 10 years in the trucking, 5 years chemical tanker and every unload has been with contacts, zero issues.

 

Here's what you do:
wear the contacts.

Keep your glasses handy.

If you have problems, switch to the glasses.

If you get red, itchy, inflamed eyes, you only have yourself to blame.

Are you the kind of person who blames others for their problems? If not, do what you want, and hold them blameless if you make a problem for yourself.

Simple? Yes. Sensible? I like to think so. Company policy? As long as you don't run your mouth about it.

 

glad I seen this post. been thinking about tanks. I haven't even owned a pair of glasses in 27 years. started wearing contacts at 21 and never looked back.
I agree with those above, I went through the army, recalled for desert storm, working in machine shops, swimming, motorcycling etc.
I have never lost a lens yet.

that said I would wear glasses while loading/unloading if they asked with no issues. have to get a pair anyways I would imagine. just in case.

 

You only need to walk into a cloud of solvent vapors, possibly unrelated to your delivery process, to have your contacts melt INTO your eyeballs with no warning...

Shell Chemical had a good poster, an eye patch & a glass eye with the caption...'YOU ONLY HAVE TWO..."

Wearing contacts in the wrong place can blind you in seconds...feeling lucky today?

 

Must be very harsh chemicals. I once got gasoline in my eye with contacts. Burned like hell for a few minutes. Just rinsed it out, removed contact and put a new one in with no real problems.

 

That's the thing, if you agree to haul Hazmat tanker there's no telling what you might be hauling or what ELSE will be at the customers. You definitely want no contacts to be able to use an emergency rinse.

 

I never get these posts. I mean a "solvent vapor cloud" if that happened everyday then I'm sure either; A, the plant would be shut down by the government or B, an outsider would never be allowed in. So we are left with lottery odds then. Now I play the lottery too but that doesn't mean I'm picking out the color of my Lambo. So what's the point? If, if, if, if...... Okay I get it, bad things happen. Everything is a risk.