Safety goggles are used to shield eyes from debris and liquids during projects that could be potentially hazardous. There is a wide variety of safety goggles available, so you can find one that fits your needs for your project. They come in different materials, including plastic, metal, or glass. Some even offer protection against UV light! If you're looking for the perfect pair of safety goggles for your next DIY project, then look no further than this blog post!
Safety goggles or safety glasses are protective eyewear designed to shade the eye area and provide some protection from flying debris. These goggles have an impact-resistant lens, usually one piece of glass with a selected tint for maximum optical quality, structural strength, and shatter resistance. Some types also have a special anti-fog coating.
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When Should Safety Goggles Be Worn?
Safety goggles should be worn when hazardous factors are present. This includes tasks that produce dust, fumes, mists, or particles of sizes larger than one micrometer.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration also recommend safety goggles with side shields in particular for woodworking operations where precautions must be taken to protect the eyes against nails and small pieces of wood, as well as metal objects like screws, washers, and filings which might be projected from handling heavy materials or from other machines in the area in use near this operation.
Related: Protective Gloves: Get the Best Protection for Your Hands, Fast!
Take a look at this video on what happens when you don't wear safety glasses:
9 Things to Consider When Buying Safety Goggles
To help you make an informed decision when purchasing safety gear, we have compiled a list of features that should be considered before making your purchase:
- Frame Material: The frame material is important because it determines durability and weight and how comfortable they will feel on your face.
- Lens Color: You want to choose a lens color that provides clear vision while protecting your eyes from potentially harmful substances.
- Lens Material: The lens material must be impact, chemical, and scratch-resistant.
- Lens Coating: Anti-fog coating is really helpful when the goggles are exposed to high temperatures or sudden temperature changes.
- Prescription: Safety glasses with prescription lenses are great for people that need corrective vision correction, but both Rx and non-Rx versions can provide clarity across a broad spectrum of light conditions.
- Adjustability: Frames that increase comfort by allowing you to adjust them separately for each eye are great because they eliminate pressure points between your nose and temples
- Warranty: Warranties allow you to protect yourself from defects due to manufacturer errors.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Some products have fantastic features but are so expensive that they do not offer a good value.
- Brand: Choosing a brand that you trust is just as important as choosing the right specs to get your money's worth.
Safety Goggles Uses
In the workplace, it is essential to have a clear vision to be efficient. However, specific tasks require safety goggles to protect your eyes from any harmful particles present. Some of the common uses of safety goggles are given below:
1. Protection from Harmful Particles
Safety goggles protect against potentially dangerous materials such as glass dust, metal chips, and wood splinters. These harmful elements can irritate the eye or even blindness if they contact an unprotected eye. Safety goggles provide adequate protection against these elements and help prevent permanent damage to eyesight.
2. Protection against Injury during Construction Work
Construction work is another common setting where you might need safety goggles. This includes tasks like bricklaying, plastering, painting, sanding, etc. During such work, workers are at a high risk of being injured by sharp building material or flying debris. In addition, injuries to the eye area can have permanent effects if not treated in time. Therefore, workers need to wear safety goggles while performing these tasks to prevent injuries.
3. Protection from Excessive Strain on Eyes
Working for long hours in front of computer displays puts your eyes under excessive strain and can cause them damage over time. This also refers to viewing television or driving during nighttime hours with less light available, but you still need good vision. By wearing safety goggles when performing such activities, you reduce the stress on your eyes, and they stay healthy longer.
4. Protection against Flying Particles While Shooting
If you are into shooting, then safety glasses are an absolute must. The weapons that you shoot propel particles forward, and these can injure your eyes if not protected. Therefore, using safety goggles while handling firearms is mandatory as they prevent both the shooter and their entourage from being injured by the flying particles.
5: Medical Purpose
Medical professionals who operate on patients regularly to remove harmful substances like cataracts or foreign bodies need to wear eye protection glasses at all times to protect their own eyes from any harm caused by accidental contact with sharp instruments or chemicals used during surgery. In addition, in the case of trauma victims, it is prudent for doctors to wear eye protection gloves until they have entirely assessed the extent of the injuries to prevent injury to their own eyes.
6: At Home
At home, safety goggles are a must for all DIY enthusiasts as they perform tasks involving sharp objects or chemicals, which are potential sources of damage to the eyesight if not handled with care. Safety goggles also help you complete your tasks in less time by preventing any distractions that might cause eye strain due to reduced lighting. For instance, when you paint a wall, safety goggles prevent you from being distracted by what is going on around you and allows you to concentrate on applying the paint evenly and without mistakes.
How to Wear Your Safety Goggles Properly?
1 - Open the package.
2 - Remove and discard any packing sheet or protective stickers.
3 - Fit the goggles over your head so that one temple piece rests under each ear. Adjust so that the goggles sit comfortably on your face without pressing uncomfortably against your cheeks/temples or nose. (Tip: Every brand of goggles has a slightly different fit to them; some are more contoured around; the nose than others, for example.) The pressure from the surface of the lens should be evenly distributed across your forehead (unlike sunglasses) - if it isn't adjusted until it is comfortable enough. One side effect of this might also be that at some point, they stop fogging, and the air can flow freely across your face. Finally, the padding/gasket around the eye area should be comfortably sitting on your cheeks without slipping or pressing uncomfortably against them.
4 - Once you've found a comfortable position for the goggles, push and release each temple piece forward until it locks into place with an audible click. Some people prefer to lock only one side at first; you may want to try both ways before deciding which you like best. This step (and locking) is crucial in preventing any potential damage to your glasses/goggles if they come into contact with anything while riding. Keep this in mind at all times!
5 - Slide the strap over your head so that it goes over the top of your head, and secure the clip in a comfortable position around your ears. Again, every brand of goggles has different hardware to do this; I prefer those that run along the side of my head like glasses - they're easier to adjust - but all work in their way.
Benefits of Safety Goggles
You've heard the horror stories - a steelworker loses an eye in a metal-grinding mishap; a welder's face is seared after his mask gas leaks; a chemical spill blinds one worker while another suffers debilitating burns. To protect yourself and your co-workers from similar injuries, you need to wear safety goggles. But a pair of goggles alone doesn't prevent accidents or injury. Here are nine reasons why they might save your eyesight:
1. Safety glasses protect against flying debris
When you're working on machinery, sanding wood, sanding floors, breaking up concrete, or slicing through sheetrock, there's always the danger that tiny pieces will break away and fly toward your face at high speed. These shards frequently cause severe eye injuries. But goggles protect your eyes by preventing debris from penetrating your cornea and striking the retina behind it.
2. Eye protection keeps out other harmful chemicals and substances
When you're working with paint, molten steel, or caustic chemicals, it's essential to wear safety goggles that block out some of that harmful material from splashing or spraying into your eyes. Of course, you won't be able to see as well while wearing them, but at least they'll help keep materials from causing severe damage to your vision by getting on your retinas.
3. Safety goggles help reduce visual fatigue while working long hours
All day, even if you aren't directly exposed to substances that can affect your eyes, you can still experience visual fatigue when you work long hours under harsh lighting conditions. This is because even the slightest amount of ambient light and glare can interfere with your ability to see well.
4. Safety goggles keep your eyes protected during high-powered demolition jobs
Safety glasses may not seem like they're necessary for a job as low-key as cutting wood or sanding drywall, but those jobs can be pretty dangerous when it comes to potential eye injuries. If you don't wear safety glasses, tiny sawdust particles will splash into your eyes at high speed. This could cause painful eye irritation and lead to infection if left untreated.
5. Wearing eye protection can cut down on workplace accidents
Carrying out a job from a ladder can be difficult, especially if the task requires you to focus on an object far away. In addition, if your distance vision is blurred or compromised, it's easy to lose balance-which makes accidents much more likely.
6. Safety goggles can help reduce workers' compensation claims
Sometimes crafty workers try to get around wearing eye protection by wearing contact lenses instead of goggles. But, unfortunately, there have been cases where a worker with contact lenses still suffered severe injuries after being exposed to toxic chemicals or industrial gases. It can take years for the symptoms to show up, but those injured workers often file for workers' compensation benefits once they do.
7. Wearing eye protection can prevent suffering from visual disturbances
One of the biggest dangers of not wearing safety glasses on the job is that you'll suffer from sensitivity to light or glare. You'd think over time, your eyes would get used to working in poor lighting conditions, but instead, they can become increasingly more sensitive each time you work on a project without eye protection. This can create visual disturbances that are hard to live with.
8. Safety Goggles Can Help Stave Off Problems Needing Glasses
If you're working at a construction site or machine shop and don't use safety goggles, then staring closely into an object every day for hours can lead to vision problems in the long run. In addition, these vision troubles might impair your ability to focus on things and read the small print since many people who need reading glasses have professions where they're exposed to visual dangers.
9. Safety goggles help prevent blindness and vision loss
If you don't wear safety goggles while carrying out a job that requires spending hours staring at an object, your eyes can end up being damaged differently. It's not just the harsh lighting conditions or high-powered gases that can cause vision problems; it's also long-term exposure to bright light that can lead to loss of sharpness or color perception.
6 Safety Tips on Safety Goggles
- Check that the goggles are clean before you wear them. Lint-free cloth or an eye cleaning pad will wipe optical surfaces (including lenses) and frame areas without hinges.
- Ensure the strap is long enough to provide a secure, comfortable fit - but not too tight as to cause pinching if it becomes twisted.
- Align safety goggles with the curvature of your face for comfort and maximum protection by fitting goggle straps behind ears where they will rest on the head tightly against neck muscles
- Ensure there are no gaps between sides of the mask temples or bridge of goggles and nosepiece - filling these spaces with your fingers when tightening straps will help achieve the best alignment
- Choose safety goggles that comply with ANSI standards, such as those approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and wear safety glasses at all times.
- Read instructions for your specific needs before using safety goggles to avoid any risks to your eyesight. If you don't have instructions for proper use of the product in question, then do not use it.
Frequently Ask Questions about Safety Goggles
Safety Glasses vs Goggles
Safety glasses are also known as safety goggles. Goggles can be either safe or protective, depending on the product. Safety goggles usually come with a strap to fit around the head and may be used in environments where more protection is needed than safety glasses provide. With all of these considerations, you must do your research before purchasing any items to make sure you are buying what will best suit your needs for protecting your eyes while operating hazardous machinery at work or hobbies.
How Do I Know If My Safety Goggles Are UV Protected?
The label on safety goggles should say if they're UV protected or not. If it doesn't, they're probably not UV protective. If you have any other questions about the goggles, please contact the manufacturer for more information.
The ASTM International recommends that eye protectors with performance claims of protection from solar radiation (UV) be labeled as "SOLAR PROTECTED" when such a claim is valid; otherwise, no labeling statement is permitted.
How to care for safety goggles
- Make sure your safety goggles are fit for use by following the manufacturer's guidelines and getting a tutorial on cleaning them if necessary.
- Never place your safety goggles in an oven or microwave; they could overheat and cause injury.
- Store your goggles somewhere safe, so they will be ready for you when you need them next.
- Clean them after every two uses with soap, water, mild detergent, alcohol, or ammonia to maintain their effectiveness
- Don't use acetoacetate as it dries out lenses and eventually destroys the lenses entirely! Only use cleaners that say "safe for glass" on the container!
Final Words
At the end of this article, you should know what safety goggles are and their purpose. You may also have learned some new information about properly using a pair for your protection or that of others in your workplace. If you want more information on any specific topic mentioned above, please feel free to contact us via email anytime! We will be happy to answer any questions you might have!