Safety Goggles : Providing Important Eye Protection
Everyone likes to know that they're safe, and one of the most delicate parts of our body are our eyes. Fortunately our eyes are one of the easiest and most affordable parts of us to protect. For those of you who work in hazardous environments, safety goggles are a must. Even if you personally aren't working with dangerous materials, people around you may be and as careful as you are - accidents do happen.
Fortunately safety goggles are very easily accessible. No matter what purpose you require safety goggles for - whether it be in a laboratory, at home or in a factory, you can be assured that there have been safety goggles designed to suit your specific requirements.
All safety goggles sold in the USA must be approved by the ANSI (American National Standards Institute). To be approved they must pass numerous tests and adhere to strict standards. There are two main levels of safety goggle protection: basic impact and high impact. Basic impact safety goggles are recognized by a Z87 marking on the lenses, where as high impact safety goggles have a Z87+ marking on the lenses. High impact safety goggles offer the maximum in eye protection.
Safety goggles aren't as simple as you may think - there are a huge range of different safety goggles designed specifically for different applications.
Desert combat goggles are specifically designed for those who work in desert conditions. They are most commonly used by those in the army, and offer advanced shrapnel and fragment protection as well as 99.9% UV protection from the bright desert sun. Ess, Peltor, and Wiley-X are popular brands of desert combat safety goggles and they start at just $60 a pair.
Other safety goggles are specifically designed for those that work in fire and rescue. These are made with extra safety features to ensure you are protected during the intense heat of fire situations. They exceed ANSI Z87+ high impact standards, and also offer high tech features to help withstand fires. The most popular brand fire and rescue safety goggles are Ess, and prices start from $53 a pair.
Splash safety goggles are another type of safety glasses for a different purpose. These are specifically designed for those that are working around hazardous chemicals or liquids. They offer extra protection by having either covered vents or no vents at all to avoid any splashes entering the glasses. AO Safety, All Safe and Crews are some of the most popular brands and they are very affordable with prices starting at just $4 per pair.
* AO SUNGLASSES are NOT ANSI Z87.1-2003 safety glasses
One of the most dangerous occupations when it comes to eye safety is anything involved welding. That is why very specific safety goggles need to be worn when working around this machinery. Welding safety goggles have very dark lenses that must be between the shades 5 and 8 to provide adequate protection. The most popular and best selling welding safety goggle brand is Allsafe, and they have a great range of different welding safety goggles starting at just $7 a pair.
Perforated safety goggles are designed for maximum ventilation to prevent the glasses from fogging up. They are used by people who need protection from large flying debris such as saw dust or wood chips. Perforated safety goggles are very inexpensive to buy, and one of the most popular pairs are the Pyramex G201 Perforated Goggles that offer high impact protection lenses at just $3.75 per pair.
There are various other types of safety goggles available too, so you should ensure to shop around to find the exact pair that suit your needs.
Safety goggles also come with a choice of lenses, one of the most popular other than clear lenses are tinted gray lenses. These are ideal for working in outdoor situations where you are subjected to harsh UV rays. Gray tinted lens block out all of the harmful UV rays and only allow through the harmless light, without causing color distortion. They also help minimize fatigue and irritation to the eyes.
