Safety Goggles

Importance of Safety Goggles at Work

Eyes are naturally sensitive and an important component of the human body. However, they are at risk of becoming damaged at a lot of times in our daily lives, especially at work. They are prone to blunt traumas or lacerations due to prevailing risks of hazards in our jobs. This calls for appropriate eye & face protection, as prescribed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Every day, thousands of eye injuries occur in the workplace. More than 50% of these injuries happen in industrial vocations. These injuries bring woe to the employers as well. According to the Vision Council, employers face $300 million in medical costs to care for eye injuries of their workers. Whatever the medium of protection may be, it must offer the required level of safety assurance at a workplace. This article dilates on some of the important reasons why there is a need for safety goggles at work.

The need for PPE

As mentioned above, personal protective equipment is made mandatory for employers to provide where workplace hazards prevail. Eye are subject to varying kinds of injuries at work. They can be victims of blunt traumas or lacerations due to high impact accidents. The acts of grinding, cutting, melting, welding, etc. in industrial jobs are largely hazardous. Apropos of this, eye protection is an indispensable mechanism to contend with workplace hazards. In contrast to standard protective gear for eyes, goggles are meant to provide a greater surface area of protection. They allow for a more secure, complete protection of the peripheral area of our eyes.

Usefulness of goggles

Most safety goggles are ANSI Z787.1 certified, denoting shatter-proof durability against high velocity & volume impacts. Polycarbonate lenses employed in goggles ensure high scratch resistance & complete absorption of Ultra Violet Rays. Due to their size & weight, goggles may not be the comfiest to wear. However, they offer comprehensive protection in contrast to a flat surfaced eyewear which allows foreign objects to slip in from the unprotected sides. Goggles can be also worn over regular RX eyeglasses or contact lenses. This is a source of great convenience for people who prefer to wear their own regular glasses. Goggles also allow for greater flexibility. This is because goggles do not have to be upgraded time and again due to changes in one’s prescription. They can also be worn by several people. Safety Glasses can prevent long-term eye injuries which workers may be prone to over the course of many years. It is incumbent upon management or workplace safety consultants to educate and ask workers what helps them. This enables to company to ascertain hazards at workplace accurately & administer appropriate measures accordingly. This also means workers would get the right kind of protective equipment to protect against safety hazards. Protective eyewear must comply with all regulatory standards at the workplace to ensure workers safety. By and large, goggles must be chosen where appropriate. One size fits all solution does not work in most of the cases.

Times When Safety Goggles Are More Helpful

Modern protective equipment for workplace hazards is now designed with ever reliable safety assurance. This is done by carrying out ruthless durability tests on industrial eyewear. This is to ascertain that the lens will not shatter when a head-on collision occurs with a foreign object. The polycarbonate material allows companies to offer such assurance due to its high impact resistance. However, one size fits all solution does not always work here. In a survey of an eye injury at the workplace by US Department of Labor Statistics, 40% of the injured workers were wearing the wrong equipment for their eyes at the time of an accident. This calls for a number of things to be considered. Among them includes an accurate assessment of workplace hazards & then aptly selecting protective equipment. This article discourses on how safety goggles can be a better choice at times as compared to the usual eye protective equipment.

The need for goggles

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is meant by all standards to reduce the extent of threats posed to one’s eyes at work. This is enshrined in the OHSA’s standard no. 1910.133. The standard further delineates eye & face protection procedures that are incumbent upon employers to administer. Although safety goggles do most of the job, there are times when they fall short on providing the right amount of protection. Although wraparound design allows for much needed peripheral protection, flat surfaced eyewear has a few disadvantages. The flat-surfaced design leaves sides of the eyes vulnerable to foreign particles, debris, dust or splashes of liquids. This can be devastating in most cases if they come in contact with the eyes.

In contrast to wraparound glasses, there are a few things due to which goggles take a slight lead. The former does not offer complete peripheral protection, as their surface area is a bit smaller as compared to the latter. Although the latter might get a bad rep for their unattractive appearance and clunky feel, they do the job more effectively. As mentioned previously, it’s imperative to evaluate workplace hazards before initiating any PPE purchase. Goggles can provide sounder protection against various airborne particles or liquids.

Choosing the right kind

There are certain types of goggles, each designed to suit their own purpose. This comes in handy when choosing to protect against certain criteria of hazards. Some Prescription Safety Glasses have a built-in mechanism for air flow, with a direct vent. This allows for a lens to not to become fogged if workers are present in extreme temperatures. They are primarily high impact resistant and provide protection against blunt traumas. However, the vents designed for air flow can allow little splashes of liquid to enter from the sides. Conversely, goggles with no vents are suitable for all-around, complete protection against all sorts of workplace hazards. Although they are very secure, the lens of goggles can quickly fog up due to the lack of ventilation. For this purpose, always choose the anti-fogging lens for the very type of safety goggles.

Important Tips for Safety Goggles Maintenance

Your personal protective equipment (PPE) is more than just a safety accessory, it’s your trustworthy friend. Every day, thousands of people face eye injuries at work. Experts agree that by wearing formal PPE for eyes, these injuries can be reduced by 90%. Thus, eye protection at work is a fundamental right of any employee. The rights to protect face & eyes at work is encapsulated in OSHA's standards. This makes it mandatory for employers to provide safety equipment for eye protection during all times on the job. That being said, a regular check on the health of your safety goggles can keep them in a good condition. Our safety equipment is naturally subjected to wear & tear over time. Although this is inevitable, one can always prolong the usable their PPE’s service life with good habits. This article discusses how regular maintenance check on your goggles can be of great benefit.

Regular Upkeep

This is too basic to ignore. Cleaning your goggles daily is a habit we must all cultivate & follow religiously. There are many ways to go about this. Blowing away slack debris or dust is one. Rinsing your goggles after work with warm, soapy water would cleanse the grimy dirt stuck on lenses. Although detergent can be used to rinse away any dirt, it’s always recommended to use cleaning wipes for lenses. A prime reason for this is to keep the coating on lenses intact and prevent any further abrasion. Soft, microfiber cloth may be used with soft bristles to avoid getting any scratches on the lens surface. For cleaning, soak the cloth wet whereas dry would be best for dusting. If your lenses do get scratched or broken, they must get replaced in either case. In contrast to other protective equipment, Safety Eyeglasses allow for greater shelf life. This can be further enhanced by adopting good cleaning habits.

Where to store them after work?

For storage, always reserve a clean & dry place in your house. It’s important that you keep it away from the reach of small children. Keeping them in your closet on the highest shelf is one option. Always choose a separate storage place for your goggles which doesn’t allow any other object to trample or induce scratches on them. In most of the cases, work stations allow for employees to deposit their PPE after work.

Choosing Quality Goggles

It’s important to select top-drawer brands which offer more value for your money in the long run. One example is 3M’s Goggles Gear Series. This protective eyewear has 3M’s proprietary Scotchgard anti-fogging coating which is an apt choice for workers in hot, humid environments. Always check for ANSI Z787.1 compliance for safety against high volume & velocity impacts before buying goggles. Your eyewear has to sit on the bride of your nose for long hours. Therefore, always look for a comfortable & snugly fit in your PPE. By & large, quality trumps quantity when it comes to choosing safety eyewear that suits you personally.