Mark Moeller urges young tradies to prioritise eye and ear protection

Reflecting on his own youth, Mr Moeller, now the sales manager at Precast Concrete Wodonga, said a piece of steel broke off and hit him in the eye, causing permanent damage.

"They say with age comes wisdom," he said. "So now I'm always wearing safety glasses when I'm on a grinder or cut off saw - it's absolutely essential.

"You've only got one set of eyes, one set of knees and one back so you've got to look after everything when it comes to safety.

"But unfortunately, a lot of young ones don't realise that you've got to look after yourself."

As part of Tradie Safety Awareness Month, a study by Specsavers involving 512 Australian tradespeople aged 18 and above, showed that 89 per cent of tradies aged 40-plus would tell their younger selves to be more careful with their hearing and eye protection while on the job.

The research found that younger tradies (18-34) are already reporting concerns over worksite damage, with 75 per cent of those who work outside concerned they could have sun damage to their eyes.

Albury-based optometrist Amy Creece said younger tradies need to understand the importance of taking preventative measures to look after their hearing and eyesight.

"Over the last five years we've actually seen a big growth in people, particularly men, presenting in the emergency department for work-related eye trauma," she said.

"Clinically, tradies under the age of 40 are one of the demographics we see the least of, even though they're probably at higher risk of damage to their eyes and hearing, and that needs to change."

Ms Creece said the most common injury she sees is shrapnel lodged in the eye.

"Only about 20 per cent of men wear eye protection regularly at work, which is not good because not all eye damage can be fixed," she said.

"Then on top of that there's UV damage. We live in a very bright area and people are often working outside, on roofs, and they often get UV damage which needs surgical fixing."

According to the study, 37 per cent of the tradies surveyed said they are already incurring a workplace eye injury that required medical attention, and 53 per cent said their hearing has worsened over time.

"Most workplaces will recommend eye protection and ear protection when we're using risky equipment," Ms Creece said.

"But at the end of the day, take some personal responsibility of your own eyes and your own ears."

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