- Published May 13, 2024
- Last Modified May 13, 2024
- 11 min
A Complete Guide to Safety Goggles & Glasses
Understand why safety goggles and protective glasses are important and discover how to wear them correctly.
This guide to protective glasses and safety goggles includes all the essential information that you need to know. We will cover what safety eyewear does, why this equipment is important, how to wear safety goggles and glasses correctly, and we will also explain the different ratings and grades.
What are Safety Goggles and Glasses?
Safety googles and glasses are a form of personal protective equipment (PPE) used to shield the eyes from injury-causing elements. They are typically equipped with impact-resistant lenses and durable frames to provide coverage and protection for the eyes, helping to defend against debris, chemicals, or airborne particles. Safety goggles and glasses, including the lenses, are made from scratch and impact-resistant polycarbonate - or acetate when the focus is on splash protection. Cheaper models may also contain standard plastic.
Both safety goggles and glasses come in various styles and sizes offering versatility for different tasks and environments. They play a crucial role in safeguarding vision and eye health across a wide number of industries and activities.
What is the Difference Between Safety Goggles and Safety Glasses?
Protective eyewear encompasses a range of gear designed to shield the eyes from potential hazards. Within this category, the primary variants are safety googles and safety glasses. Understanding their unique characteristics helps in selecting the most appropriate eye protection for specific tasks.
Safety Glasses
Safety glasses serve as essential protective eyewear, featuring impact-resistant lenses and durable frames designed to shield the eyes from potential hazards. Safety glasses provide versatile protection against airborne particles, debris, or chemicals commonly encountered in various work environments. They can be worn comfortably for extended periods, ensuring essential eye safety during tasks that pose risks to vision health. They are typically worn in situations where the main hazard to the wearer’s eyes would be expected to come from the front.
Safety glasses sit across the eyes and allow air to flow in through the sides. As they sit further away from the face as compared to regular glasses, they can also be worn comfortably with prescription glasses underneath. Properly wearing safety glasses involves ensuring a comfortable fit by adjusting the temples and nosepiece, ensuring they sit securely on the face without causing discomfort, and maintaining regular lens cleanliness for optimal visibility.
Safety Goggles
Safety goggles offer heightened protection compared to safety glasses by creating a secure seal around the eyes. This seal is essential for guarding against splashes, dust, and more severe impacts. These goggles are commonly utilised in environments where the risk of exposure to hazardous substances or airborne particles is prevalent.
Wearing safety goggles correctly involves ensuring they completely encase the eyes and form a tight seal against the face, providing maximum protection. While it is possible to wear safety goggles over prescription glasses, it likely won’t be a comfortable fit for standard safety goggles. For those with prescription glasses, look for safety goggles that are compatible with traditional glasses. It is also possible to find safety goggles with built-in prescription lenses, which can improve the comfort of wearing the goggles as the prescription glasses will no longer be required.
Why are Safety Goggles So Important?
Safety goggles and glasses protect the wearer’s eyes from flying debris, dust, smoke and corrosive chemicals following accidents or equipment failure. In other words, we wear eye protection to provide a crucial first line of defence for one of the most vulnerable organs in the body.
Thousands of eye injuries occur in workplaces every year and around 20% of these are sufficiently serious to cause partial or complete blindness.
How to Wear Safety Goggles & Safety Glasses Correctly
Wearing protective eyewear correctly is essential to ensure optimal eye protection in various work environments. Here's a quick guide on the correct way to wear them:
Proper Placement and Fit: Both safety goggles & safety glasses should snugly fit the contours of your face without leaving gaps. Ensure the goggles or glasses are positioned securely on the bridge of your nose and provide ample coverage around the eyes. Adjust the strap, if available, for a comfortable yet secure fit.
Seal and Coverage: For safety googles, confirm that the goggles form a tight seal around your eyes to prevent any particles or substances from entering. They should cover the entire eye area without compromising vision. Adjust the strap for a snug yet comfortable fit that ensures the goggles stay in place during work activities.
Comfort and Visibility: Check for comfort while wearing both safety glasses and safety goggles. They should not cause discomfort or hinder your ability to work effectively.
Regularly clean the lenses to maintain optimal visibility and ensure clear sight.
Compatibility for Prescription Glasses: For individuals wearing prescription glasses, look for safety goggles that are specifically designed to be worn over prescription eyewear. They offer added protection without compromising comfort or vision for those who need prescription lenses. Most safety glasses are compatible with prescription lenses but make sure to double check and be certain before purchasing if you wear prescription lenses.
Regular Inspections: Regularly inspect both safety glasses and safety goggles for signs of damage, such as scratches or loss of secure fit. Replace them if damaged to maintain effective eye protection.
Types of Safety Goggles and Safety Glasses
Different types of safety goggles and glasses are available, with each model designed for different tasks and working environments.
When making a selection, consider the following key areas of risk:
- Ultraviolet rays, infrared radiation, bright light sources (for example, welding torches)
- Dangerous chemicals, liquids, gas or dust
- High temperatures and hot objects or substances
- Wood, metal or plastic debris and shrapnel (for example, grinding machines)
- Electrical discharge (arcs) from short circuits and electrical faults
Protection against such risks is indicated by a series of mandatory codes. See below for more information on these.
Safety Goggles for Lab Work
The main risk to eyes when working in a laboratory is chemical – for instance, hazardous chemicals or corrosive substances that have been spilt and splashed. Therefore, the best choice of protective eyewear for lab workers is full safety goggles with a protective seal. These should be worn whenever hazardous work is undertaken.
Safety Goggles for Woodwork
Dust is the major threat posed to eyes when woodworking. Grinding or sanding produces a fine spray of wood particles which can cause eye irritation - at the very least. Again, this means that full safety goggles are the best choice when working with wood.
Safety Goggles for Construction
Construction sites are dangerous places, filled with multiple health and safety risks. The best eye protection for use in such environments is goggles or glasses that provide reliable protection against smoke, dust particles, light exposure and electrical discharge.
Safety Goggles for Cold Weather Conditions
Safety goggles worn in low temperatures are prone to misting or fogging. To minimise this productivity-disrupting annoyance, look for models with an anti-mist chemical coating applied to the lens.
Safety Goggle Frame and Lens Codes Explained
Safety goggles and safety glasses are classified according to a European safety standard known as EN 166: 2001. All protective eyewear sold in Europe must comply with this code.
Three separate standards - EN 170, 171 and 172 - define levels of protection against ultraviolet radiation, infrared radiation and sun glare respectively.
Each set of standards defines a series of quality ratings, which are indicated by mandatory markings on the frames and lenses of each protective device. Assess the overall safety of the eyewear via the lowest rating displayed.
Strength Ratings
The strength of safety goggles is indicated with the following codes:
- S : Resistant to a small object moving 12 metres per second
- F : Resistant to a small object moving 45 metres per second
- B : Resistant to a small object moving 120 metres per second
- A : Resistant to a small object moving 190 metres per second
- T : Resistant to impacts at extreme temperatures
Frame Style and Protection Ratings
The frame style and protective capabilities of safety goggles are indicated by the following codes:
- 3 : Will protect against splashes (normally fully sealed goggles)
- 4 : Protects against larger dust particles (over five microns)
- 5 : Protects against smaller dust particles (under five microns)
- 8 : Protects against electrical arcs (discharges) caused by a short circuit
- 9 : Will protect against hot projectiles
Radiation Protection Ratings
The level of radiation protection provided by various models of safety goggles is indicated by the following codes:
Safety Goggle Radiation Protection Rating | Definition |
|---|---|
2 | Protection against ultraviolet light via a coloured light filter |
2C / 3 | Protection against ultraviolet light via a clear light filter |
4 | Protection from infrared radiation |
5 | Protection from sun glare |
6 | Protection from sun glare and infrared radiation |
Light Transmission Ratings
This rating indicates the percentage of protection provided against very bright lights such as welding torch flames. The lower the level of light transmission through the lenses, the greater the level of protection provided.
Safety Goggle Light Transmission Rating | Amount of Light Transmitted |
|---|---|
1.2 | Between 74.4% and 100% |
1.7 | Between 43.2% and 58.1% |
2.5 | Between 17.8% and 29.1% |
3.1 | Between 8% and 17.8% |
Optical Quality Ratings
The optical quality rating of safety goggles indicates how frequently a pair of goggles should be worn to minimise the risk of eye strain.
Safety Goggle Optical Quality Rating | Use |
|---|---|
Class 1 | High quality - can be used freely on a regular basis |
Class 2 | Medium quality - fine for occasional use |
Class 3 | Low quality - only use on limited occasions |
Lens Property Ratings
As the name suggests, lens ratings are used to indicate the strength and capabilities of these crucial components. As such, there is some overlap with the overall strength ratings listed above.
- S : Protects against small objects moving at 12 metres per second
- F : Protects against small objects moving at 45 metres per second
- B : Protects against small objects moving at 120 metres per second
- A : Protects against small objects moving at 190 metres per second
- T : Resistant to extreme temperatures
- N : Resistant to fogging or misting in cold temperatures
- K : Resistant to scratches made by fine particles such as dust
- 8 : Resistant to electrical discharge arcs caused by short circuit faults
- 9 : Protects against hot projectiles
