The fact is, most eye injuries cause permanent damage. It takes just one incident to suffer permanent damage or blindness. Proper eye protection can keep you safe.

Eye and face protection includes non-prescription and prescription safety glasses, clear or tinted goggles, face shields, welding helmets, and some full-face type respirators that meet the ANSI Z87.1 Eye and Face Protection Standards and are labeled accordingly. The safety eye wear must have “Z87” or “Z87+” marked on the frame and the lenses are usually marked with the manufacturers initials. If the devices are not marked, they are not safety and are not compliant with regulations.

Regular tinted safety sunglasses do not meet the criteria for any hot work operations; they must have a shade number of 1.5 -3 for torch soldering. For gas or arc welding, a tint of 4 or greater is needed to protect the eyes. Tinted glasses are not permitted for indoor use. Additionally, many workers who wear prescription glasses use slipover safety glasses that can leave large gaps around the face and allow debris to impact the eyes. The use of prescription safety glasses removes the need for wearing two sets of glasses and eliminates the hazard of focusing through two pairs of lenses.