How Good Are OSHA Approved Prescription Safety Glasses?

Even if you are wearing prescription safety glasses, there is always a chance that you may need more protection. A vast majority of eye injuries at the workplace are preventable. Even so, according to OSHA, about a thousand eye injuries happen daily in workplaces across the USA. This leads to loss of production and incurring medical expenses. According to OSHA, most eye injuries occur because either you were not wearing eye protection or you were wearing the wrong type of eye protection.

What are the reasons why people suffer eye injuries?

It may come as a complete surprise to learn that almost sixty percent of eye injuries at the workplace occurred because the person was not wearing the right kind of eye protection or because they were not wearing any eye protection. This may be due to a misconception that eye protection is not required for a particular situation.

Eye Protection is not a guarantee

Most eye injuries occur even when wearing eye protection. This is because an object or chemical finds its way around the eye protection or under it. This shows that even if you are wearing eye protection you are not immune from an eye injury. This begs the question; how much eye protection is required to ensure you do not suffer an eye injury? To find an answer to this question, you need to assess the hazards at your workplace. You also need to know how much of each eye hazard is present at your workplace.

Common eye hazards to look out for

The most common eye hazards at the workplace include dust and concrete particles as well as metal particles and other particles. Chemicals in the form of acids and bases as well as fuels and solvents are other common eye hazards for which you need to protect your eyes. If you are working on a construction site, then you need to protect your eyes against falling debris or shifting debris. You also need protection against building materials and glass. Other than this, you also need to protect your eyes against smoke and noxious gases.

Welding lights and electric arcs

Welders need to protect their eyes against welding light and electrical arcs. Others need to protect their eyes against thermal hazards and fires. Finally, you also require protection against pathogens that are in the blood and which can cause problems like hepatitis and HIV.

Before you choose OSHA-approved prescription safety glasses, you should ask the manufacturer of such eyewear to suggest the type of eyewear protection that is best suited for different eye hazards.

What kind of eye protection do you need?

However, workers know better what kind of eye protection is required at the workplace. For example, when a worker is working with machines, they know that they need safety eyewear that will protect their eyes against impacts. If they are working with plating, then they are going to be exposed to chemicals and liquids. They know that to protect their eyes they must use protective eyewear with a side shield or they may require a face shield.

Some jobs are very dangerous. For example, if you are working with cleaning mixers or a hopper or you are molding parts, then you are going to need eye protection against flying particles. You should choose your safety eyewear after checking the National Institute for

Occupational Safety and Health to find out what you should be wearing. For example, you may require different eye protection if you are only doing general work. For such conditions, you are only at risk from minor dust and flying particles. You can use an ordinary pair of safety glasses for this kind of work. However, make sure that your safety eyewear has an anti-fog treatment and go with a pair that is fitted with polycarbonate lenses.

You should also check the OSHA eye and face protection standard that deals with ANSI Z87.1 certified prescription safety glasses. For such eye protection, you must ensure that its lenses and frames have the ANSI Z87.1 mark.

Hybrid safety eyewear

Another type of eye protection that you should use is the one known as hybrid safety eyewear. This kind of eyewear has foam or rubber around the lenses to offer superior protection from flying particles and dust. If you choose to wear regular prescription glasses, then you will need to use a tight-fitting pair of goggles over your glasses. However, this is not the best option as the lenses may come into contact with your eyes and cause an eye abrasion. It is better to choose OSHA-approved prescription safety eyewear fitted with tempered glass. Another option is to go with a pair of acrylic plastic lenses but these are not suitable for high impacts.

A perfect fit is a must

You can protect your eyes well by ensuring that the pair you are wearing fits your face perfectly. For one, the pair that you are wearing must rest firmly on the top of your nose and it should be close to your face without touching it. You also need to ensure that the eyewear does not slip or slide down your face because of sweat or moisture. Ideally, the pair that you choose should touch your face in three places. First of all, they need to touch the bridge of your nose. Second, they should touch you behind the ears, and thirdly, the temples should wrap around your head.

You can protect your eyes well if you know how to use your safety glasses. You should undergo training on how to use eyewear. This will ensure that your eyes are well protected against all eye hazards.

The bottom line is that OSHA-approved prescription safety glasses can do a world of good as far as protecting your eyes go. The more you study OSHA regulations and the more you know how to use your eye protection, the safer you will feel at the workplace. You must ensure that your eye protection fits your face properly and that it stays in place even when you are performing your tasks. You can buy a good pair at Cheapglasses123.com. this is a very reliable online seller with years of experience in selling quality eyewear at the best prices.