Many styles of protective safety glasses are available. Look for products that offer full coverage of the entire orbital eye area, which is crucial for anything from lab glasses to industrial eyewear. Some designs are available in an OTG (over-the-glass) version, where the user needs to wear protection over their prescription glasses. Safety reading glasses incorporate the right magnification at a more affordable price than near-sighted Rx lenses. Magnifying eye protection allows the wearer to see fine details with greater clarity.
Eye Protection & Safety Guide
Explore the essential safety equipment for eyes, from glasses and goggles to face shields. Outfit your worksite with the proper eye protection for your staff.
According to OSHA 1910.133: Employers shall ensure that each employee uses appropriate eye or face protection (including side protection) when exposed to eye or face hazards, which include:
Flying particles
Molten metal
Liquid chemicals
Acids or caustic liquids
Chemical gases or vapors
Potentially injurious light radiation
This includes employees who wear prescription lenses while engaged in operations that involve eye hazards. The user must wear eye protection that incorporates the prescription in the design, or wear PPE that can be worn over the prescription lenses without disturbing the proper position of the prescription or the protective lenses.
Protective eye and face devices shall comply with ANSI Z87.1 American National Standard Practice for Occupational and Educational Eye and Face Protection. Anyone working in or passing through areas that pose eye hazards should also wear appropriate protective eyewear. The correct eye protection should match the specific hazard present, whether that's flying particles, chemical splash, or light radiation, and should always meet ANSI Z87.1 and OSHA 1910.133 eye protection standards. This applies to industrial eye protection used on an indoor production floor as well as protective eyewear worn at outdoor or external worksites.
The three main types of eye protection are safety glasses, safety goggles, and face shields, each suited to different eye and face hazards and levels of coverage.
Safety Glasses
Many products include customizable fitting features like adjustable nose bridges and temples. These details provide added comfort and enhanced fit. Eyewear compliance is more dependable in the workplace with the right combination of style, comfort, and fitting.
Safety work glasses are easy to identify. Look for ANSI Z87.1 markings on the frame or temples, the manufacturer’s mark (e.g., 3M is the mark used by 3M), and a (+) sign to identify protective eyewear that meets the high impact standards in ANSI Z87.1-2003.
Base Curve: This term refers to the back curvature of the lens. The higher the base curve, the more curvature there is in a lens. To maintain good optics, the thickness of the material varies from location to location along the curve. As a result, the light that passes through the lens does not have a prismatic imbalance.
For instance, standard “basic” safety glass with a base curve of 4 is relatively flat, requiring sharply curved temple ends to comply with ANSI side shield standards. Newer designs incorporate higher base curves, creating better optics and reduced distortion. Due to the increased curvature of the lens, it wraps more around the face and eliminates the need for side shields. Glasses with a higher base curve tend to look sportier and more stylish, encouraging staff to wear the necessary protective gear. For outdoor work specifically, look for safety glasses with a tint suited to bright or changing light, such as yellow, gray/mirror, or polarized lenses, combined with a higher base curve for wraparound coverage and built-in side protection.
Aspheric Lenses
For eye protection glasses, some lenses feature a varied curve across the surface profile instead of a perfectly spherical design. This construction provides a few benefits:
- Helps reduce distortion out to the edges of the lens
- Thinner and lighter
- Flatter curves reduce bulging
Most safety glasses come with either a hard coating to protect the lens surface and help prevent premature scratching or other coatings. These additional options may include anti-fog, anti-scratch, anti-static, and anti-UV properties. For some industries, the lenses must be contained within more robust protection (such as welding helmets).
Safety lenses offer a variety of tints for specific workplace applications, offering tailored solutions from construction glasses to industrial safety eyewear:
Clear: For general-purpose applications, clear safety glasses are common in educational settings and at various worksites.
Yellow (Contrast Amber): Use when sharpness, acuity, and contrast are essential and for blocking high-intensity blue lighting (such as UV). This tint is good for working outdoors at dawn and dusk or on hazy and overcast days.
Red (Vermillion): Absorbs green light, sharpening visual acuity and providing contrast (similar to the yellow lens). Some people prefer vermillion to amber when choosing a lens to sharpen vision. Red is good for inspection work (i.e., circuit boards, miniature components, assembly items, etc.) because defects are more noticeable.
Green/IR Shade: Blocks red/infrared (IR) light. Use any place where there is heat. Green is good for metalworking, furnace work, etc.
Gray/Silver Mirror/Blue Mirror: Reduces glare and bright light. These tinted safety glasses are good for outdoor applications where a task-specific lens is not required.
Indoor/Outdoor Mirror: Tones everything down and provides excellent vision in both indoor and outdoor lighting. This mirror lens type allows a person to wear the same pair in buildings and outside.
Polarized Safety Glasses: Designed for outdoor use to protect from reflective glare on water, snow, cement, and other hard surfaces. Note that LCD screens are difficult to see through polarized safety sunglasses.
For laser hazards specifically, standard tinted or shaded safety glasses do not provide laser protection. Dedicated laser safety glasses rated for the specific laser wavelength in use are required.
Goggles for Eye Safety
Safety glasses and safety goggles are identified differently: safety glasses resemble standard eyeglasses with impact-rated lenses and often side shields, while safety goggles form a fuller seal around the entire eye area for protection against particulates, splash, or chemical hazards. There are work environments that require the use of goggles. Safety goggles are available for protection from impact, particulates, and chemical and non-hazardous splashback.
Types of Work Goggles:
Clear safety goggles are the most common, with some slight tints that could be blue or gray. The main distinction between these products is how they circulate air.
• Direct Vent: Protects your eyes from impact and particulates. They offer excellent circulation around the eyes to prevent the lenses from fogging. These vision safety solutions should not be used where there’s a chance of chemical splash.
• Indirect Vent: Protects your eyes from airborne particulates and chemical splashback. The vents allow for adequate airflow while protecting the wearer from liquids entering the eye area.
• Ventless: Helps prevent harm to the wearer from impacts, airborne particulates, and chemical splashes and fumes. Since there are no vents for adequate air circulation, this eye protector discourages long-term use.
In short: choose direct vent goggles for dust and impact only, indirect vent goggles when some chemical splash protection is needed alongside airflow, and ventless goggles for the highest level of splash and fume protection when air circulation isn't required.
Keep the workplace PPE organized and accessible to encourage staff to wear the necessary equipment. Various eyewear storage and accessories provide a range of solutions, including cases, dispensers, and neck cords. Replace any damaged or worn side shields to comply with legal requirements. Help employees maintain visibility with lens cleaning supplies, such as spray solutions and cloths.
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