Final answer:
Safety goggles protect your eyes from potential hazards like flying debris, harmful dust, splashes of chemicals, and harmful gases in machinery operations. Not wearing them can lead to serious eye injuries or even blindness. Therefore, it is imperative to wear safety goggles when working with machinery.
Step-by-step explanation:
Safety goggles are an integral part of personal protective equipment when working with machinery.
They protect your eyes from potential hazards like flying debris, harmful dust, and spills or splashes of chemicals. Machinery operations can involve materials or substances that might cause injury if they come into direct contact with the eyes.
For instance, during activities like cutting, drilling, or grinding, tiny particles can fly off and pose a risk to the eyes. Also, some processes may involve the use of dangerous chemicals or produce harmful gases.
In such cases, safety goggles help protect your eyes from chemical splashes or harmful gases, thereby preventing serious eye damage.
As shown by the cause-and-effect poster (credit: "A flask exploding, a left eye open without protection" by Science Museum Group/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0), not wearing eye protection can lead to permanent blindness. Wearing safety goggles can prevent such severe potential consequences, emphasizing their importance in all machinery-based activities.
Learn more about Safety Goggles