Regular eyeglasses and safety glasses have different functionalities. The primary function of regular eyeglasses or prescription eyeglasses is to correct your vision problem. Safety glasses are designed to protect your eyes when you are performing special tasks that pose a higher risk of eye injury.
If you are working in a facility or a site, you should invest in a pair of safety glasses to give complete protection to your eyes. Workers wearing regular eyeglasses or goggles at the job sites are at higher risk of eye injuries as their eyes are not getting sufficient protection against flying wood chips and other dangerous debris.
You can rely on standard prescription glasses or sunglasses to protect your eyes against UV rays, but, as they have minimum impact resistance, they are not ideal for an industrial environment.
Wearing Prescription Safety Glasses:
Workers who are prescribed to wear glasses should opt for prescription safety glasses rather than wearing regular glasses or wearing two pairs at once. Prescription safety glasses eliminate the need for choosing between clear vision and eye protection. It should be clear that either worker should opt for safety glasses or prescription safety glasses or goggles while performing special tasks.
Prescription glasses usually cost more than regular lenses. Employers can approach Prescription Safety Glasses Canada to avail their workers high quality and affordable prescription safety glasses and provide perfect eye protection to the employees.
How Safety Glasses Protect the Eyes Better than Regular Eyeglasses?
Safety glasses are highly impact-resistant than regular eyewear, and it goes through several tests ensuring the maximum protection for eyes. Just like prescription safety glasses, you can also find prescription safety goggles to work comfortably outdoors.
ANSI (American National Standards Institute) rates the safety glasses. Safety glasses usually have a stamp on the right side of the arm of the frame. It can be Z87 or Z87+, and the plus rating indicates the high impact resistance. The stamp is the assurance that both lens and frame are created carefully to meet specific impact resistant. Regular eyewear does not have such specifications and is not recommended to wear while working on sites.
How Ratings are Given to the Safety Glasses:
Z87:
For the lens to achieve Z87 rating, it has to go through a drop ball test. A still ball of one-inch diameter is dropped on the lens for the height of 50 inches. In case of cracking, chipping, or breaking, the lens fails to achieve Z87 standard.
Z87+:
The high impact test involves shooting .25 inch steel ball at the lens at the speed of 150 feet per second. If the lens does not crack, break, or chip, then it is rated as high impact resistant. The lens is also required to hold its position without dislodging from the frame.
When it comes to regular glasses and sunglasses, they do not go through such intense tests for impact resistant. The lenses are tested only for quality and protection against UV rays. The purpose of prescription glasses to provide vision clarity with the comfortable fitting of stylish frames. Standard eyewear is not designed to protect eyes from ash, sparks, flying debris, or sawdust.
OSHA does not Consider Wearing Regular Glasses at Workplace Safe:
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) does not consider wearing regular glasses or sunglasses at work reliable. Employers are recommended to enforce safety glasses standards at the workplace. If the standards are not maintained properly, then citation can be issued against the employers.
You can wear sunglasses or regular prescription glasses to have a clear vision and style when you walk out. But that accessory should not be considered protective for eyes while doing specialized tasks. Those who don’t work in an industrial environment should keep a pair handy when working on a home renovation project.
Summary:
Safety glasses and goggles are different from regular glasses. Safety glasses are high impact resistant and keep your eyes safe at the workplace, while regular glasses and sunglasses serve the purpose of correcting vision and look stylish at the same time. To keep your eyes protected at the workplace, browse through our extensive range of safety glasses. Order your prescription safety glasses today and perform tasks comfortably without compromising with safety and clear vision.