By Mark Smith 17/02/2025

Under: PPE and Workwear

Comprehensive Guide to PPE Safety Glasses, Safety Goggles, and Visors

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is vital for workplace safety, especially when it comes to eye and face protection. Safety goggles, safety glasses, and visors play key roles in protecting workers from potential hazards. This guide explores their uses, types, regulations, certifications, advantages, disadvantages, and situations where they are indispensable.

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Safety Goggles

In industries like construction, woodworking, laboratories, and healthcare, it's common for workers to need to wear safety goggles to protect their eyes. 

Safety goggles provide comprehensive eye protection by forming a sealed shield around the eyes. They are crucial in workplaces where there is a chance of encountering flying debris or particles, dust, chemical splashes or fumes, or biological hazards.

Types of Safety Goggles

There are four main types of safety googles available in the UK. These include: 

1. Direct-Vent Goggles that feature ventilation holes for airflow to reduce fogging. These work goggles are ideal for particularly dusty working environments or where large particle protection is necessary. They are however unsuitable for liquid splash hazards.
2. Indirect-Vent Goggles are designed to prevent liquids and chemical splashes from entering your eyes while still allowing airflow. This type of protective eyewear is most commonly used in chemical handling environments and laboratory work.
3. Non-Vented Goggles that feature a fully sealed eye protection offers the maximum protection against liquids, gases, and fine particulates. These goggles may fog easily but are crucial in hazardous environments with high contamination risks.
4. Anti-Fog and Prescription Goggles provide added functionality for specific needs, ensuring clear vision in humid environments or accommodating those who wear corrective lenses.

Rules and Regulations for Eye Protection

In the UK, the EN 166 standard regulates eye protection, detailing the necessary criteria for personal eye safety against various risks. This standard is applicable in industrial environments, ensuring that safety goggles, glasses, and visors meet essential requirements for optical clarity, impact resistance, and protection from dangers such as chemicals, dust, and UV rays. The regulation requires that all protective eyewear used in workplaces carry a CE mark, indicating adherence to the standard. 

According to the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992, employers have a legal obligation to provide suitable eye protection for employees in areas where eye hazards exist. 

EN 166 includes classifications that indicate impact resistance (for instance, "F" for low energy impact and "B" for medium energy impact) along with other characteristics like resistance to liquids, dust, and high temperatures. Employers must ensure that workers receive the correct eye protection and are trained in its proper usage to uphold safety and compliance.

Minimum Levels of Certification for Eye Protection

The minimum levels of certification for eye protection are determined by the specific hazard the eyewear is designed to mitigate, as outlined in EN 166. This standard ensures that all safety eyewear meets essential safety requirements, with detailed markings to indicate its performance level. 

For basic protection, eyewear must meet the “Optical Class 1” requirement, ensuring clarity for prolonged use. Impact resistance levels are marked with specific codes: “S” for increased robustness, “F” for low energy impact, “B” for medium energy impact, and “A” for high energy impact. 

Additional certifications include resistance to chemicals (3 for liquid droplets or splashes), dust (4), and molten metals or hot solids (9). UV protection and infrared protection levels are also standardised, with specific filters indicated for tasks involving exposure to harmful radiation, such as welding. Eye protection must be CE marked to confirm compliance with EU and UK safety regulations, ensuring workers are safeguarded against workplace hazards. Employers must verify these certifications when selecting PPE to provide appropriate and legally compliant protection.

When and Where to Wear Safety Goggles

It is recommended that safety goggles should be worn in medium to high risk work environments. These include:

• During grinding, drilling, or cutting tasks that generate debris.
• In environments with high dust or biological hazard exposure.
• Whenever regulations or safety guidelines require them.
• When working with chemicals, especially acids and solvents.

Disadvantages of Safety Goggles

Eye protection is a crucial component of personal protective equipment (PPE), but safety goggles do come with a few disadvantages: 

Certain types of goggles are more likely to fog up, which can hinder visibility. Moreover, wearing safety goggles for extended periods can lead to discomfort, particularly if they don't fit well. Fully sealed goggles may also trap heat and cause sweating, making them less appealing for some users, which could lead to decreased usage.

For tasks that do not require the complete sealing provided by goggles, safety glasses can offer a practical alternative. 

Safety Glasses

Safety glasses are crafted for lighter, low-risk settings, offering comfort, enhanced visibility, and adequate protection against moderate dangers like flying debris, small particles, and minor impacts, as well as moderate dust exposure. They are particularly beneficial for task where a balance between safety and convenience is required. 

While safety glasses provide less coverage than goggles, they still deliver essential protection, making them ideal for lighter activities such as carpentry, minor construction, and specific laboratory tasks.

Types of Safety Glasses

There are four main types of safety glasses available in the UK. These include: 

1. Prescription Safety Glasses that are designed for individuals needing corrective lenses.
2. Over-The-Glasses (OTG) Safety Glasses that fit over regular glasses for added protection.
3. Polarised Safety Glasses that help to reduce glare, making them ideal for outdoor work.
4. Anti-Scratch and Anti-Fog Glasses that provide enhanced durability and clarity for the user. 

When and Where to Wear Safety Glasses

It is advisable to wear safety glasses in environments with moderate risks, for example when dealing with sawdust, light sparks, or using low-impact tools. Additionally, work glasses are essential in areas with strict personal protective equipment (PPE) regulations and for outdoor tasks that need UV protection.

Disadvantages of Safety Glasses

Although safety glasses provide adequate eye protection in lower-risk environments, they do not provide complete sealing which could result in dust or liquids entering the user’s eye. 

The majority of top-rated safety glasses are comfortable, however, they can be uncomfortable when worn over prescription glasses. 

Safety spectacles offer lower protection compared to goggles and the user will therefore have limited protection against fumes or high-impact hazards. 

Visors

Visors protect the face from larger hazards, offering full-face coverage. They are ideal for environments that require the user to shield their faces from liquid splashes, sprays, and hot substances and are often worn alongside goggles or glasses.

Visors are particularly useful when the user needs to protect against tasks including welding, grinding, cutting, and safeguarding against arc flashes in electrical work.

The main advantages for wearing visors are that they provide you with full-face protection whilst still being fully compatible with other types of PPE. This makes visors effective against a range of workplace hazards.

Types of Visors

There are three main types of visors in the UK, which are: 

1. Clear Visors: Provide face protection and provide a clear field of vision. 
2. Tinted Visors: Reduce glare, making them suitable for outdoor or welding tasks.
3. Chemical-Resistant Visors: Specifically designed for laboratory and industrial applications.

Best safety glasses brands

Amongst the top choices for eye protection are premium brands Uvex and Bollé in the eye protection market. 

Uvex safety eyewear is one of our bestselling brands due to the combination of outstanding protection, exceptional comfort and stylish look. The Uvex eyewear range is designed to fit various head shapes comfortably, ensuring a snug yet pressure-free experience while delivering complete eye safety. This is essential for encouraging long-term use of safety glasses. To keep your eyewear clear, advanced anti-fog technology is crucial. 

Bollé offers a diverse selection of safety glasses and goggles in different sizes and colours, perfect for various work settings. With their ergonomic design, these safety glasses not only provide comfort but also maintain a fashionable appearance while ensuring maximum protection.

If budget is a concern the best buy would be Neuron safety goggles. The complete range delivers high-quality, reliable protection at an affordable price. Built to withstand tough conditions, they are a practical choice for professionals who need both safety and comfort on the job. Choose from a range of features including anti-mist, anti-scratch technology and frameless design. 

Selecting the right eye protection - whether it's safety goggles, glasses, or visors hinges on the particular risks and tasks at hand. Goggles provide complete eye coverage, glasses are a lightweight option suitable for moderate hazards, and visors offer full-face protection for more dangerous situations. Understanding the standards, applications, and limitations of each type of eye protection ensures optimal safety and compliance in any work environment.

To discuss eye protection requirements, contact us today!