Eye Protection

Eye Safety
Each working day in the United States, more than 2,000 employees sustain job-related eye injuries, making workplace injuries a leading cause of ocular trauma, vision loss and blindless. The United States Federal Government has legislated an extensive system of guidelines designed to keep its citizens safe and healthy at work. These guidelines are the basis for our product selection. The governing body is known as OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.  According to OSHA, approximately 90% of eye accidents can be prevented through the use of proper protective eyewear. OSHA requires employers to make sure all employees use appropriate eye protection.

ANSI (American National Standards Institute) is the recognized entity that sets forth manufacturing standards in the U.S. The current ANSI Z87.1-2003 Standard requires that safety glasses and goggles provide:

• Adequate protection from the hazards for which they were designed
• Reasonable comfort
• A secure fit without interfering with movement or vision
• The ability to be easily cleaned and disinfected
• Durability
• Ability to fit over or incorporate prescription eyewear.

An updated standard, Z87+, incorporates new mass and High Impact Standards. The Z87+ is not yet mandated by OSHA.  Safety eyewear must have ANSI Z87.1-2003 (which means it is impact resistant) marked on the frame or lens.

Benefits of Wearing Sunglasses
According to the June 2007 issue of Occupational Hazards magazine, sunglasses help by filtering light and also by protecting the eyes from damaging UV rays.

Mounting scientific evidence shows that long-term exposure to UV rays can lead to cataracts, macular degeneration or skin cancer around the eyelids. Encourage employees to choose sunglasses that:

• Reduce glare
• Filter out 99 to 100 percent of UV rays
• Protect the eyes
• Are comfortable to wear
• Do not distort colors

Outdoor workers should be aware that if they are in locations where sun glare off of water or snow is an issue, they should wear sunglasses with a darker tint to block more light. The risk of eye damage from the sun is greater because of reflection off the water and snow.