There are many eye hazards that you may encounter each day at the workplace. To protect your eyes you’ll need some type of safety eyewear. There are many options to choose from with many factors to consider, the main one being, which tasks will require you to have eye protection. This answer will drive the other choices that will be made by your supervisors on your behalf, such as:

LENS- ANSI has updated its eye protector impact levels. There are now two levels of acceptable impact resistances; “Basic” and “High”. Marking requirements for the eyewear have also changed; those meeting the “High” impact criteria are marked “Z87+” and those that meet the “Basic” are marked “Z87”. Obviously a higher impact lens will offer you greater protection.

LENS MATERIALS- There are three materials used to make safety lens; glass, plastic and polycarbonate.

Glass- safety eyewear with glass lenses, while not common, do occur. They are used in special situations where the density of the glass is necessary because of the chemicals used or the working environment. Glass lens,when scratched, loss any impact resistance they had and are more likely to shatter when they fall.

Plasticlenses are much less likely to break when they’re dropped; they’re much lighter than glass and offer you more choices for coating and tinting. Plastic lenses are often used around chemical solvents because they resist breakdown.

Polycarbonate is the most common material used in safety eyewear lenses. It is lightweight, stronger than glass or plastic and can be coated and tinted.

COATINGS- There are several different coating options available to you:

Anti-Fogprovides excellent fog protection in an environment of high humidity where you may experience sudden temperature shifts.

Scratch Resistance can extend the life of your lenses by prevent scratches that can occur through use.

Anti-Static helps to reduce dust and particles sticking to the lenses.

Hard Coating helps to extend the life of your lenses.

Anti-UV blocks up to 99.9% of harmful UV radiation from reaching and damaging your eyes.

LENS TINT- Lens come in many different tints depending on when and where you’ll be using your safety eyewear.

Clear- There is no color to these lenses. They are good for general indoor environments with normal to low light where you need protection from impact.

Indoor/Outdoor- are clear lenses with a slight mirror coating. They can be used both inside and out, they’re described as darker than clear but lighter than gray.

Gray- is used for outdoor work in sunny environments. This tint allows for good color recognition.

Mirror- provides general purpose sunglass protection by reflecting a lot of the light before it passes through the lenses.

Amber- is recommended for low light conditions like hazy, overcast days and dawn and dusk.

Brown- is similar to gray but allows for better contrast and depth perception.

Filter Shades- protect against both UV and infrared radiation that is produced in welding, cutting, soldering and brazing. The shades range from 1.5 (the lightest) to 14 (the darkest). The shade is chosen according to the task being performed.

1.5- 3 10- 14

By looking at all of these options, your supervisor will choose the best eye protection for you according to the hazards at your workplace. The best thing you can do to protect yourself is to use your protective eyewear as directed.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Which lens material would be the best choice for your job tasks? Why?

What would be a situation where you might need safety eyewear with an anti-static coating?

COMPANY: ______SAFETY MEETING

JOB/DEPT: ______SAFETY TRAINING

DATE: ____/____/______TIME: ______

TOPICS ADDRESSED: ______

EMPLOYEE'S SIGNATURES:

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EMPLOYEE SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: ______

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ACTION TAKEN: ______

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Supervisor's Signature Date

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Safety Coordinator's Signature Date