What kind of protection must be worn when operating equipment that casts dust or debris?

When operating equipment that generates dust or debris, wearing eye protection is essential to safeguard against potential hazards. Flying particles and dust can cause serious injuries to the eyes, including scratches, irritation, or more severe damage that may impact vision. Therefore, the correct choice emphasizes the importance of protecting your eyes from these risks.

While ear protection, face masks, and gloves serve their own safety purposes in different contexts, they are not specifically aimed at protecting the eyes from dust and debris. Ear protection is important to prevent hearing loss in noisy environments, face masks can protect respiratory health in dusty conditions, and gloves help protect hands from cuts or abrasions. In this case, for preventing eye injuries specifically, eye protection is the necessary equipment when working with tools that produce dust or debris.