The Manufacture and Selection of Eye Protection at Work

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The blog content comes from the NIOSH Manufacturing Mondays series.

June 6th was National Eyewear Day (and May was Healthy Vision Month).  To celebrate we are highlighting eye protection at work. Thousands of people each year experience work-related eye injuries that could have been prevented with the proper selection and use of eye and face protection.  Ensuring that workers wear proper eye protection and have it available is an important aspect of work safety management programs.  Different eyewear products are manufactured to protect from a variety of hazards such as flying objects and particles, dust, wind, heat, splash, abrasive materials, glare, and bright light.  Eye protection products are important around large machines, tools, and with many tasks in all industries and personal activities every day.

Each year many workers suffer eye-related injuries.  According to WorkRISQS (a NIOSH Data tool), in approximately 118,000 occupational injuries in and around the eye were seen in emergency rooms.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from through there were over 219,000 occupational eye injuries involving days away from work; nearly 41,000 of these eye injuries were in production occupations. The OSHA Safety Pays site estimates the direct and indirect cost of an occupational vision loss incident to be $159,358 using data for -.

Direct injury to the eye leading to a possible loss in vision can occur in multiple ways including small particles or objects striking the eye, blunt force trauma, chemical burns, and thermal burns.  The eye must be protected from many seemingly safe situations that would be non-injurious to any other part of the body.  With any eye injury, later infection can also lead to loss of vision in one or both eyes as the optical nerve from each eye joins together. Prompt treatment of any eye injury is important.

Regulations and Standards

Protective eyewear is required by OSHA regulations under General Industry .133.a(1) Eye and Face Protection where it states: &#;The employer shall ensure that each affected employee uses appropriate eye or face protection when exposed to eye or face hazards from flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals, acids or caustic liquids, chemical gases or vapors, or potentially injurious light radiation.&#; OSHA .133.a(2) requires side shields for flying debris and OSHA .133.a(3) requires safety glasses with a prescription or able to be used over prescription glasses. OSHA .133.a(5) requires proper shade number (standardized tint level) for protection from light radiation. OSHA .133 requires safety protective eyewear conforming to ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-/// American National Standard for Occupational and Educational Personal Eye and Face Protection Devices or better standards. The standard covers safety eyewear, high impact eyewear, face shields, welding face shields and the required and recommended shade numbers.

For selection of type of eyewear, face shield, goggles, etc. and the proper identification associated with its use, [see the ISEA (International Safety Equipment Association) Guide (excerpt from Z87 standard) at Eye-and-Face-Selection-Guide-tool.pdf (safetyequipment.org)]. Industrial safety eyewear and face shields will be marked or stamped with Z87 (or Z87-2 prescription) for normal safety wear and Z87+ (or Z87-2+ prescription) for high impact. Older Z87 versions may have had marking differences from the newest standard. The rating is required for both the frame and lens. Other markings under Z87 such as D, U, and R indicate dust, ultraviolet tint, and infrared tint and a review of these standards may be needed to properly address hazards. Regular eyewear is usually stamped with an ANSI Z80 which is a set of ophthalmic standards and requirements for qualities such as clarity and while important, ANSI Z80 does NOT indicate an industrial protection level.

It is important to note that the Z87 Eye-and-Face-Selection Guide does not have recommendations for: hot sparks; irritating mist; Lasers referred to ANSI Z136- Safe Use of Lasers; electric arcs referred to NFPA 70E-; and welding referred to ANSI Z49.1- Standard Safety in Welding and Cutting. Other occupational or military standards may be required in specific occupations such as: fire and emergency services (may need NFPA , or other); military (MIL-PERF- or MIL-PERF-D); or aviation fields (possible FAA requirements); These may require multiple certifications with or without Z87 depending on the industry and use. Other OSHA industries are covered under .153 for Shipyards and .102 for Construction. Links to OSHA .133 are provided below and other standards can be found from there.

ISEA updated Z87 to ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-, however, its adoption by OSHA is not immediate. As previously stated, current .133 requirements are ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-///, though newer Z87 versions, such as and , are acceptable and may be required by an employer. Additional OSHA guidance for specific operations is made in other sections of , for instance in .261 Special Operations, .335(subpart I), or .502-.509 and are incorporated by reference using different versions of Z87; OSHA .509 being newer references Z87-//. Older Z87 versions may be allowable under one OSHA requirement, and not another, though most Z87 references are the same as .133. This can cause confusion in product selection, as the year is not always marked on products, but may be referred to in literature, and some manufacturers have quality products still certified to older versions.

Also recently, ISEA released ANSI/ISEA Z87.62- American National Standard for Occupational and Educational Eye and Face Protection Devices for Preventing Exposures Caused by Sprays or Spurts of Blood or Body Fluids. For protection from blood or body fluids under this standard, the protection will be marked Z87.62. See OSHA guidance for when this level of protection is required and the standard for the level of protection provided by the equipment. It may take time before OSHA adopts requirements of Z87.62 through reference, inspection directive, or interpretation; it may also take some time for manufacturers to make products that are compliant with the standard.

Sports goggles may be manufactured to ASTM F803 Standard Specification for Eye Protectors for Selected Sports, ASTM F, ASTM F, or others such as ASTM F for Paintball. While various standards may be protective and appropriate for the respective sports, they are not allowed as a substitute for industrial protective eyewear. And likewise, ANSI Z87 ratings may not be correct for these activities.

Manufacture and Testing of Protective Eyewear

Impact safety glasses, lenses, and frames can be made from many different lens materials and must pass a ball impact test as specified in the appropriate safety standard such as Z87.1. The lens must survive and stay intact in the glasses frame so that an unbroken or broken lens doesn&#;t injure the eye. One way for an unbroken lens to impact the eye is for an inadequately designed frame to allow the lens to pop out during impact or to be impacted so hard that the lens deforms and pops out of the frame in a mode called oil canning. One high impact test is a 1.1-pound object dropped from 50 inches, but tests vary for specific types of eyewear and use.

The most popular forms of protective eyewear (wraparound glasses and protective goggles) involve injection molded thermoplastics and polyurethanes. Manufacturers inject melted plastic into metal molds (See figure 1) that create the lens and/or frame. Other processes are extrusion molding and blow molding. Frames are then smoothed if needed and lenses ground and or polished for optical clarity to the appropriate standard for use and type.

The workers who manufacture the safety eyewear may also face hazards including heated plastics, chemicals, high pressure, electrical, sharp cutting edges, falls, guarding and the need for lockout-tagout. The safety molding machines are typically governed under a standard such as ANSI/PLASTICS B151 family of standards by the Plastics Industry Association, Machine Safety standards by B11 Standards Inc., such as ANSI B11.0 and ANSI B11.19, ISO standards and of course OSHA regulations.

Reducing Eye Injuries

To reduce eye injuries, workers can wear personal protective eyewear, such as goggles, face shields, safety glasses, or full-face respirators. The eye protection chosen for specific work situations depends upon the nature and extent of the hazard, the circumstances of exposure, other protective equipment used, and personal vision needs. Eye protection should be fit to an individual or adjustable to provide appropriate coverage. While peripheral vision can be important, ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 requires wrap around coverage or side&#;shields on safety glasses for impact protection (Z87+), which is an OSHA requirement by incorporation of the standard. Because of the OSHA .133.a(2) requirement for side shields with flying objects, nearly all safety glasses will be high impact rated.

Of course, any selection of the proper eyewear or assessment of hazards requires an understanding of the protection afforded by different eyewear ratings and types; we hope we have provided information to assist in this understanding.

To reduce eye injuries and select eyewear and eye-protection employers can:

• Conduct an eye-hazard assessment of all workspaces and remove or reduce all eye hazards where possible, preferably as part of a full risk assessment.
• Select appropriate eye protection for the hazards as assessed, some manufacturers may have specific information for their products.
• Consider hazards due to electric, chemical, heat, dropping of eye protection, etc. and the need for retention, secondary protection, or different specification of materials or other aspects. Consider whether guidance for specific industries or hazards may also be applicable.
• Ensure that eyewear (employee- or employer-provided) is properly rated to at least the selected protection level.
• Be cognizant that work position can change requirements; for instance, working under a vehicle typically requires better fitting glasses or goggles because of falling debris in a direction different than intended.
• Provide appropriate personal protective eyewear for the types of hazards at the worksite, such as: goggles, face shields, safety glasses, or full-face respirators.
• Provide workers with prescription safety eyewear or eyewear that accommodates prescription eyewear as per .133.a(3)
• Assist workers by providing training and assistance with proper selection, use, fit, and maintenance of protective equipment.
• Use signage to remind employees of required eyewear and PPE for areas and tasks.
• Provide emergency sterile eyewash solutions/stations and post first-aid instructions near hazardous areas. (OSHA .151, ANSI/ISEA Z358.1)
• Use caution flags or guarding to identify potential hazards such as hanging or protruding objects.
• Optimize the lighting in the workplace for the tasks being performed.

Protective eyewear is important to reduce eye injuries, trauma, and vision loss. The manufacturing sector does a lot of work to design, test, and create eye and face protection products in a variety of activities. Evaluate your protective eyewear and simply commit to wearing it regularly at work and home, for you and your family.

Please share your experiences with protective eyewear at work in the comment section below.

Richard Current, PE, NIOSH Manufacturing Sector Program Assistant Coordinator.

James Harris, PhD, PE, Chief Protective Technology Branch, Division Safety Research, NIOSH.

Adam Smith, PhD, NIOSH Manufacturing Sector Program Assistant Coordinator.

Gary Roth, MS, PhD, NIOSH Manufacturing Sector Program Co-Coordinator.

Jenny Topmiller, MS, NIOSH Manufacturing Sector Program Co-Coordinator.

RJ Matetic, MS, PhD, NIOSH Associate Director for Manufacturing.

The Manufacturing Program highlights activities within the program and throughout the world of Manufacturing. To share your ideas for future topics contact us at .

Resources

ANSI and ISEA Standards

Eye Protection Committee Releases New Standard to Address Spray, Spurt of Biological Hazards &#; International Safety Equipment Association

ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-: Current Standard for Safety Glasses &#; ANSI Blog

Eye-and-Face-Selection-Guide-tool.pdf (safetyequipment.org)

International Safety Equipment Association &#; Wikipedia

Racket Sport Eye Protectors | ASTM Standardization News

CDC/NIOSH

Eye Safety Resources | NIOSH | CDC  (Archived Materials)

Keep an Eye on Your Vision Health | CDC

OSHA

Eye and Face Protection &#; Overview | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (osha.gov)

OSHA FACTSHEET PPE

Eye and Face Protection &#; Hazards and Solutions | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (osha.gov)

Estimated Costs of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses and Estimated Impact on a Company&#;s Profitability Worksheet | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (osha.gov)

eLCOSH : Toolbox Talk: Eye Safety

Personal Protective Equipment (osha.gov)

eCFR :: 29 CFR .133 &#; Eye and face protection.

| Occupational Safety and Health Administration (osha.gov)

Code of Federal Regulations (Annual Edition) | govinfo    PDF versions of CFR by Year

Contact us to discuss your requirements of safety goggles bulk. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

Manufacturing Standards

eTool : Machine Guarding &#; Plastics Machinery &#; Horizontal Injection Molding Machines | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (osha.gov)

Machinery Safety Standards Committee | Plastics Industry Association

ISO &#; ISO : &#; Plastics and rubber machines &#; Injection moulding machines &#; Safety requirements

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Injection_moulding

Statistics

One-Screen Data Search (bls.gov)  &#; BLS CFOI

Work-RISQS Number query (cdc.gov)

*Disclaimer*
The information contained on this page is for promotional and informational purposes only. All equipment should be used by trained professional tradesmen who have been trained how to use the equipment described on this page, and understand the risks of their work. PowerPak assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the use or misuse of any product purchased. In no event shall PowerPak be liable for any direct, special, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other torts, arising out of or in connection with the use of this information or the contents of this page. PowerPak reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents on this page at any time without prior notice.

This isn't breaking news. We've all heard it, and we all know it. &#;You have to wear safety glasses.&#;

Just as important as wearing protective eyewear is wearing the RIGHT protective eyewear. Some workers think it doesn&#;t matter and that as long as you have a pair of safety glasses on, you are good.

Do your safety glasses meet safety regulations and standards set by OSHA and ANSI for features like impact protection, splash protection, and UV? In some cases, safety glasses without the correct safety features can do more harm than good.

Additionally, it's worth considering that maybe safety glasses aren&#;t the right PPE for the job. Maybe, you need safety goggles or a full-face shield.

There is a lot to consider. We will break it down part by part.

Potential Eye Hazards at Work

The stakes are high. When people think of hazards to your eyes, they think of flying debris and objects, but hazards come in all shapes and forms. Some hazards damage your eyes instantly, and some damage your eyes slowly over time. In either case, the damage is often irreversible and will be something you'll have to live with for the rest of your life.

Ultraviolet Light: Like with sunglasses, a tinted pair of safety glasses that do not have UV protection can be more harmful than helpful because your pupils open wider and expose your eyes to more harmful UV rays. Always check the label to see if your eye protection offers UV protection.

Strong Chemicals: Splashes and fumes while working with chemicals and liquids that can damage your eyes.

Impact Resistance: Concrete, metal, wood, and other objects put your eyes at risk.

Bloodborne Pathogens: includes hepatitis and HIV from blood and body fluids.

Dust: Exposing your eyes to construction and environmental dust can result in both short-term and long-term irritation and conjunctivitis.

Infrared Light: Similar to UV light, prolonged exposure to IR light can cause irreversible damage to your eyes. IR exposure puts you at a high risk of cataracts.

Types of Protective Eyewear

Safety Glasses

It&#;s no surprise that the most common eye protection is safety glasses. Features are a big part of what makes eye protection work, and all of the essential features are regulated by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Specifically, ANSI standard Z87.1.

Safety glasses come in all shapes and sizes and have a wide array of optional features. Features like impact resistance and UV protection. Under ANSI Z87.1, each feature has an alphanumeric code. Most safety glasses have multiple features, and the code for those features can be found on the inside of one of the arms or etched into the lens.

These are the most common features and ANSI codes for eye protection:

• Z87 - impact rated
• Z87+ - high impact rated
• D3 - splash protection
• D4 - dust protection
• D5 - fine dust particle protection
• X - indicates eyewear has passed the fog test and can resist fogging
• W# - welding protection on a scale from 1.3 - 14
• U# - UV protection on a scale from 2 - 6
• R# - infrared light protection on a scale from 1.3 - 10
• L# - visible light filter on a scale from 1.3 - 10

Goggles

Safety goggles are the best protection for high-risk hazards. These provide the worker with protection from all directions, and they seal to your face to keep contaminants out. You can wear them on top of prescription glasses. Goggles can be rated for any of the features listed above, and additionally can have the following rating:

Face Shield

When a worker is exposed to hazards like severe heat, bloodborne pathogens, and chemicals, a face shield would be ideal for protecting the eyes and face. Workers should not use face shields as the only form of eye protection. Face shields should be worn with safety glasses or goggles for added protection.

Occupations that Require Protective Eyewear

Every occupation and every job is different. It is essential to select the eye protection designed and rated for the job&#;s specific hazards. As your tasks change, the hazards change, and your PPE should also change.

Here is the eye protection you should expect to need in some primary trades.

• Construction &#; Generally, construction workers require protection from debris and impact, but they may also require splash protection and dust resistance depending on the work.
• Mining &#; Mineworkers may be required to wear a combination of goggles, face shields, or safety glasses, depending on the specific hazards of the mine. Miners may need a full-face respirator with build-in goggles.
• Auto Repair &#; Mechanics and automotive workers often require safety glasses with impact protection and splash protection.
• Electrical Work &#; Depending on the electrical work, electricians and lineman may require any combination of the ANSI features, but most importantly, they need dielectric eye protection (no conductive parts).
• Welding &#; Welders should wear a combination of a welding helmet with either safety glasses or safety goggles that protect from impact, UV, IR, and dust if needed.
• Carpentry &#; Working with wood puts you at high risk of impact, debris, and dust hazards. A quality pair of foam-lined safety glasses with Z87.1+ impact protection would be ideal for this type of work.
• Plumbing &#; Plumbing contractors are at high risk of impact, splash, and potentially dust/atmospheric hazards.

Best Safety Glasses and Goggles

PowerPak offers a wide variety of eye safety options that are always in stock and ready for delivery.

Rockland Contractor Grade Safety Glasses are perfect for outfitting your crew with a straightforward set of safety glasses that offer ANSI Z87.1+ impact protection, 99% UV protection, multiple color/tint options, and optional anti-fog.

Rockland Precision Safety Glasses are a step up with the same features as the Contractor Grade glasses but with added comfort. These glasses feature flexible rubber nose pads, rubber-tipped arms, and a lightweight design that allows for comfortable, all-day wearability. Each pair comes with a lanyard helping prevent misplacement.

Rockland Premium Foam Lined Glasses are ideal for workers exposed to dust. These safety glasses have D3 (splash resistance) and D4 (dust resistance), making them ideal for jobs where the complete seal of safety goggles is not required, but extra protection is needed.

Chemical Splash Protection Goggles are a popular solution for work that requires robust protection that only a good pair of goggles can provide. These goggles are rated Z87.1+ for impact protection, 99% UV protection, anti-fog, indirectly vented, and they offer dust and splash protection.

ARC Rated Goggles are an advanced pair of safety goggles that offer the ANSI protection you&#;d expect, such as impact, UV, fog, and dust, but is additionally rated at 38 Cal/cm2 for arc flash protection. These goggles are a great addition to an arc flash kit.

OSHA Standards

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a handful of general requirements for eye protection in the workplace.

For starters, it is the employer&#;s responsibility to ensure that employees exposed to hazards wear eye protection that addresses that hazard. That includes requiring eye protection with sufficient side protection from flying debris or additional filters needed for different types of welding.

OSHA also specifies that prescription eyewear needs to be accounted for when outfitting workers with eye protection. There are a couple of options on this topic. There are safety glasses and goggles designed to fit over a pair of prescription glasses. Some eye protection has the option to order them with the prescription lenses built-in.

And, all eye protection needs to comply with the ANSI Z87.1 standards.

How to Protect Yourself at Work

Assessing workplace hazards is not difficult. It can be surprising when you stop and total up everything you're exposed to daily. This information will help inform the PPE choice you make beyond eye protection.

American Optometric Association advises knowing these tips for protecting your eyes from a workplace injury:

• Assess and be aware of workplace risks and hazards.
• Personal eye protection should be the last line of defense against hazards. All efforts should be made to eliminate any hazards at the source.
• Always use your eye protection.
• If your safety gear is not in good condition, get it replaced.

How to Protect Your Eyes in an Emergency Situation 

In almost every eye-related emergency, you should seek immediate medical attention. You may not need to seek out a doctor or medical professional if the injury is minor and can be treated with an eyewash or general first aid.

But generally, an eye injury should be regarded as a serious injury. In the event of an incident, you need to assess what happened and know what first aid needs to be administered until emergency services can arrive.

There is no blanket response to a workplace injury. The first aid procedure will be different for different injuries, so team members must be trained and prepared to handle injuries related to the hazards in your workplace. And, it&#;s equally important to have easily accessible first aid supplies.

Make Safety Your Top Priority

The cost of safety is nothing when compared to the cost of an injury. A safe and healthy workplace is the right of all workers, and it helps draw valuable employees. Safe working conditions will benefit both the employer and the employees.

Visit PowerPak.net to outfit your team and jobsite with safety supplies and PPE. Contact us today for more information.

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