On this site you will find various subjects dealing with safety glasses. It will discuss the criteria to look at to select a good safety glasses. Once you’ve chosen your eyewear model, you will be explained how to properly manage the glasses, scratches, cleaning and anti-fogging. Then, we describe the different tints of glasses available and the difference between them. Finished with statistical information on eye injuries in Canada, a brief reminder of the importance of wearing protective eyewear.
Selection Criteria
The frame of the bezel should fit as close as possible to the forehead and cheekbones. The objective is to prevent particles from reaching the eye through an opening. According to experts, a 6 mm opening around the eyeglass and face would be optimal to protect the worker.
The eyewear must stay in place and not go down on the nose. The temples must be comfortable, the glasses must not interfere with the wearing of other equipment such as respirators, among others.
Factors to Consider When Managing Eyeglasses
It is best to inspect these glasses before each shift. Although polycarbonate is tough, if it is scratched or cracked, the glasses should be replaced. Scratches or scratches make the glasses less effective while reducing the worker’s comfort.
Glasses are made of an impact-resistant but easily scratched material, it is better to store them in a case than to throw them in a toolbox. In addition, it should not be stored directly under the sun’s rays, as the radiation eventually degrades the polycarbonate and therefore reduces the resistance of the goggles.
Cleaning
The best way to clean these glasses is to rinse them under water to dislodge particles, then apply a cleaning solution and finish by wiping them with a soft cloth. Cleaning solutions containing anti-fog and anti-static agents are recommended.
Is anti-fog necessary?
Anti-fog coating for some people this feature does not seem necessary until the day they discover its virtues. In practice that a user does when these glasses are fogged up, he keeps them for the time it takes to finish the job or takes them off to wipe them off. By removing it, this person is vulnerable to dangerous projectiles and dust in the workplace. By keeping it, he or she increases the risk of doing the job poorly and of being injured in the process.
There are several anti-fog coatings, the best known of which is certainly the 3M anti-fog coating called Scotchgard. According to 3M their Scotchgard coating produces a reduced contact angle, flattening water droplets into a thin transparent film of water that allows light to pass through. According to the manufacturer, their Scotchgard coating resists approximately 25 washes with soap and water.
Why choose tinted safety glasses?
What motivates workers to opt for tinted eyewear is often the search for comfort to reduce eye fatigue caused by the work environment. Choosing the right tint will increase the length of time the eyewear is worn. On the other hand, a bad tint increases discomfort and this can be seen by the higher number of times the worker removes his glasses. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce eye fatigue caused by the glare of light from the sun or other sources.
Experts agree that workers who have chosen an appropriate shade of eyeglasses are less likely to generate errors in their work. This results in improved speed, accuracy and therefore increased productivity.
Here is a short list of several tints available and their characteristics: transparent, grey, light grey, brown, green, yellow, blue and photochromic.
Transparent:
This is by far the most popular choice with the vast majority of sales. The transparent hue is the one that lets the highest light through, i.e. 93% transmission. This tint is suitable for well-fit work environments. In addition, this tint absorbs approximately 99% of UVA and UVB rays.
Grey:
Glasses with grey lenses are used for workers who work outdoors in bright sunlight. The grey tint reduces glare. According to the specifications it lets 85% of the light through. This type of glass is used by many workers doing outdoor work such as: landscapers, surveyors, farmers, truck drivers, postal workers and others.
Grey interior/exterior:
Glasses with indoor/outdoor grey lenses are bright enough to see well indoors and dark enough to work outdoors in full sun. This lens when viewed from the front is gray at the top and clear at the bottom. It acts like a sunshade. It transmits 68% of the light. This type of lens prevents eye fatigue for workers who have to make multiple entries and exits of a building. The eye does not need to constantly adapt to changes in light conditions. Forklift drivers come to mind. The advantage of this type of tint compared to photochromic tints is that there is no response time during which the worker sees his lens adapt to each change in brightness. It is safer for people who go back and forth several times.
Brown:
Glasses with brown lenses are used for workers who drive. The lenses absorb blue light and thus increase the perceived luminosity. The brown tint reduces glare. Outdoor workers appreciate this tint.
Green:
Glasses with green lenses are used for workers who work outdoors in direct sunlight. The green tint reduces glare, but it darkens more. So, it’s a glass worn only on sunny days.
Yellow:
Glasses with yellow lenses are for workers who do outdoor work on dark or foggy days. This tint is recommended for users subjected to blue light emitted by computers, screens in general and by LED lights. The yellow tint increases contrast. It is often used for workers performing inspections on assembly lines. This type of lens is not recommended for night driving because it can reduce the total amount of light entering the eye, which can be a safety hazard.
Blue:
Glasses with a blue lens have similar applications to those with a yellow tint. That is to say that the blue tint reduces eye fatigue for places immersed in intense light such as neon, blue screens… This eyewear tint is appreciated by workers who carry out meticulous inspections on assembly lines. Especially when there are reflections. In addition, they are used in the food industry in preparation lines because of the blue tint which is easier to spot in case of breakage.
Photochromic
Glasses with photochromic lenses are used for workers who are sometimes outdoors or sometimes indoors. The advantage of this type of lens is that it adjusts itself according to the intensity of the light. However, this type of lens is not recommended if you go in and out several times over a short period of time. They are therefore not recommended for a forklift driver who is constantly going in and out. The time it takes for the glasses to adjust, the worker sees less clearly, which can cause accidents with moving vehicles. The very high cost of photochromic goggles keeps demand low.
Eye Injuries:
The most important causes of eye injuries include wind-blown dust particles, chemical splashes, radiation, collisions with moving objects, and unsafe use of hand tools. According to studies, more than 200 eye accidents occur every day in Canada. Of these, 90% could have been prevented.
Construction workers have the highest number of eye injuries in Canada. This is not surprising, partly because of the nature of their work, but also because they are not required to wear them. I was astonished to see this during a site visit with a prevention officer. The agent explained to me that wearing glasses is not mandatory, they only wear them if their work requires it. In addition, they must install screens to protect other workers, because other workers do not wear them.
You can find models of tinted safety glasses and face protectors as well as safety equipment at Sylprotec. You can buy online or at their store in Saint-Leonard. You will find a wide range of gloves, safety clothing, first aid kits, masks and more.
Sylvain Patrice f.p.t.
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