On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will cross southern and eastern portions North America. It’ll be an awesome spectacle to witness, but it’s important for your employees working outdoors to do so safely while on the job to avoid severe eye damage.

The event is the result of the moon passing between Earth and the sun, thereby blocking the face of the sun. The entire event will last roughly two hours, with totality (when the moon completely blocks the sun) expected to last about four minutes.

According to NASA, unless you’re looking at the sun during the brief totality, it is not safe to look directly at the eclipse without specialized eye protection. Viewing any part of the bright sun — whether it’s through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope — without a special solar filter will “instantly cause severe eye injury.”

“You should never assume that you can look away quickly enough to avoid eye damage because every person is different in terms of their retinal sensitivity,” NASA’s website states.

Eye Safety While on the Job

Here is some important information to keep in mind when working outdoors during a solar eclipse:

• Solar viewing glasses, or “eclipse glasses,” are the only eye protection suited for viewing the eclipse. Regular sunglasses won’t work, regardless of how dark they might be or if they're polarized. 
• Eclipse glasses are available online and at big-box stores.
• Any employees working outdoors, whether they're delivering materials or managing supplies, should resist viewing the eclipse without proper eye protection. 
• It's only safe to briefly look at the eclipse during the totality, as the sun’s radiation is too weak to have a harmful effect when the sun is completely covered.
• If you're in the path of the eclipse, you can experience the total eclipse. Those outside of the path might observe a partial eclipse, where the moon partially covers the sun. If this is the case, eclipse glasses are still required to safely view the event.

Photograph of Aug. 21, 2017, solar eclipse, as seen from the Gary L. Pittman Memorial Park in Greenville, South Carolina.Image courtesy Jim Jeletic, Hubble Space Telescope deputy project manager, and his son Jordan

 

If it’s a cloudy day in your area, chances are you won’t be able to view the eclipse. However, even with cloud cover, the darkness caused by the eclipse will still be noticeable, as if it were dawn or dusk.

If you want to observe the eclipse but don’t have eye protection, there are methods of indirectly viewing it. The easiest is pinhole viewing, where a small opening (like a hole punched in a card or the perforations in a pasta strainer) can project a crescent shape on the ground. You can even cross your outstretched, slightly open fingers over each other and, with your back to the sun, view the shadow of your fingers to see the crescent shape caused by the eclipse.

Protect Against the Sun

Outside of visual safety, it’s important to remember that the sun will be quite bright during the eclipse.

•  If you’re working outside, practice the usual outdoor safety tips like wearing sunscreen and protective clothing to prevent sun damage.
• Supervisors may want to adjust work schedules around the eclipse to avoid peak times. Just like working during a hot and sunny day, workers should have shaded areas to protect them from direct sun exposure.

To view the path of totality and to determine when the eclipse is happening in your area, visit NASA’s 2024 eclipse guide.