There are still plenty of dirty jobs across America. Particles are flying and working men and women are exposed to them every day. Luckily eye protection for these folks is keeping pace with the times. A new category of eyewear has emerged that finds fans in heavy manufacturing and oil & gas production. Suppliers call it "sealed eyewear" and it's bridging the gap between safety glasses and standard goggles.
Traditionally it has been a challenge to find the correct eye protection on a fixed budget for workers doing a wide variety of tasks. Until sealed eyewear came along, supervisors were forced to present either a range of safety glasses which provided comfort and a clear view, but little protection from swirling dust and particulate matter, or goggles that provided more protection, but sacrificed comfort and clarity.
Eye safety standards have gotten tough too. If your company finds itself outside the updated ANSI Z87.1 standard, which groups eye protection solutions according to hazard type and more closely follow international standards, you could find OSHA assessing penalties up to $70,000 for each infraction. But sealed eyewear is helping keep employers in compliance in a relatively simple way - employees don't mind wearing them.
Chad Carney is an eye safety expert at Pyramex Safety Products. "We call these crossover glasses," says Carney. "Products like the I-Force Glasses feature foam padding around the lenses which improves protection against dust, debris, and wind over traditional safety glasses. Many of our similar models also have interchangeable temples and straps."
Turns out getting rid of the hard temple arms and replacing them with an adjustable elastic strap goes a long way to increase user comfort, especially when workers are also wearing lots of other PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) like hard hats and hearing protection.
Carney goes on to say the majority of the Pyramex glasses in this class are treated with their proprietary H2X anti-fog coating which is important when you don't have lots of air circulation. Safety gear that workers want to wear will provide greater protection simply because it's being worn when an accident occurs. Crossovers like the I-Force glasses provide worker safety without impairing their vision or interfering with their work. Goggles don't always fit right when being worn with a hard hat, and ill-fitting safety glasses simply won't get the same frequency of use that comfortable protection does.
Crossover glasses provide both comfort and safety in a way that doesn't impede a worker completing their task. At the end of the day, that's all anyone can ask from their PPE.