Why do you need OSHA Approved Prescription Safety Glasses?

The first pair of safety glasses was invented in the late 1800s. In those days, impact protection was little more than a fickle dream. P. Johnson's patented googles were made from slightly opaque fabric, so they could only protect against bright light. "Liquid plastic" was invented by accident in the 1900s, and with one simple mistake, the first eye guard for impact protection entered the market. Glass coatings would soon revolutionize the industry.

Industry leaders like 3M developed a range of new safety wear for every need. Suddenly, goggles could prevent fog, scatter light, and protect against falling debris. OSHA entered the market in the 1970's, bringing a new standard in occupational safety and health to personal protective equipment (PPE). Of all the regulations OSHA has developed, those for safety glasses are violated the most. These standards for OSHA approved prescription safety glasses are a key part of a healthy life if you work in:

Manufacturing
Construction
Retail
Healthcare
Trade contracting
Metal manufacturing
Warehousing
Food service
Agriculture
Fishing and hunting
Waste services

If your industry exposes staff to chemicals, dust, heat, bright light, or flying debris, it's important to wear compliant eyewear. Even with OSHA's hard work and clear regulations, eye injuries cost businesses $300 million a year in medical costs, worker compensation, and lost production. It's crucial that every employer gets to know these standards.

General Requirements for OSHA Approved Prescription Safety Glasses

The 29 CFR 1910.132 covers the general requirements for safety glasses alongside those for the head, extremities, lungs, and body. If your employees use their own PPE equipment, the regulation requires you to make sure it's OSHA-compliant. Your company is required to do a hazard assessment so that all risks are accounted for. OSHA also requires employers to teach staff how and when to use their PPE. As a part of that training, you should offer plenty of information on care, maintenance, and disposal.

Types of Protection in z87 Prescription Safety Glasses

You've probably noticed a wide range of ratings on OSHA approved safety glasses. Each code tells you the kind of protection that prescription lens offers. For example

Z87 prescription safety glasses protect against everyday impact.
Z87+ protects against high impact.
D3 resists fine spray chemicals.
U goggles guard against UV light.
Z87 – 2 are prescription lenses that wrap all the way around the frame.

ANSI Z87.1. prescription safety glasses are designed to reduce the risk of impact-related injury, non-ionizing radiation, and chemical spray. The standard was updated in 2015 to include three different categories:

Impact and non-impact
Radiation protection
Protection from dust and splashes.

ANSI Z87.1 prescription safety glasses that are impact-rated str tested for their resistance to both velocity and mass. If the PPE passes impact tests, it will carry a "plus" symbol. If they're rated for chemical splash and dust protection, they'll have a "D" rating as well, for example:

D3 goggles protect against splashes and droplets
D4 goggles provide ordinary dust protection
D5 goggles protect against fine dust.

These codes make it easy to fulfill your needs. Before you start shopping for prescription safety glasses at Walmart, establish which codes meet your unique work hazards.

Understanding Optical Radiation Protection

If your staff work with intense heat, UV or infrared light, they'll need a range of different optical radiation protections. Your precise rating will depend on the intensity and density of the light they work with. There are three lens filter intensities to cover general, maritime, and construction industries.

Welders are exposed to both visible and radiant energy, so OSHA has taken both into consideration. Welding protection comes with a long list of standards governing everything from flying sparks to slag chips. OSHA may also require workers to wear secondary protectors to shield the rest of the face.

Laser work has its own set of standards. Laser beams are often as intense as direct sunlight, so exposure can cause cataracts and even blindness. OSHA regulates these prescription glasses by wattage per centimeter, optical density, and attenuation.

Finally, OSHA has separate standards for glare protection. Special purpose filtered lenses or tinted visors are usually enough. Prescription or Rx lenses are a requirement, not an option, but they can only defend against moderate impact. They generally aren't adequate for UV and infrared light. Special purpose options include lenses containing:

Cobalt
Didymium
Photochromic lenses
Tints

Wrap-around protection may also be needed, so don't neglect your side shields.

Assessing Prescription Safety Glasses

ANSI Z87.1 is the least protection OSHA requires, so it gives you a useful starting point for assessing your PPE. OSHA holds manufacturers responsible for providing test results when requested, so if you're in doubt, all you need to do is ask. Safety glasses must carry legible markings of the kind of protection they offer. Prescription safety goggle markings aren't as easy to track as other frames, though.

Data about eye size is expressed through the "A" dimension. The "DBL" rating tells you the distance between lenses. The amount of impact they can resist is expressed in numbers ahead of the + symbol. If you need a lightweight design, you can increase dust resistance with padding around the nose and ears. Foam-lined gaskets also add comfort while preventing cornea scratches.

Prescription Safety Glasses at Walmart

Walmart has a wide range of PPE, including prescription safety glasses. Their range includes lightweight frames, foamed items, and bifocals. The supermarket giant also offers antifog and magnifier lenses at surprisingly low prices. Prescription Safety Glasses at Walmart are designed to be fitted with prescription lenses, so it's not quite as simple as picking a pair off the shelf.

OSHA's comprehensive collection of standards is carefully considered, so you can stay safe one pair of OSHA approved prescription safety glasses at a time. To get access to all these benefits you need a comprehensive program that will help track compliance while also saving you time and money.

That's where Bridge Safety Vision enters the picture. Our program ensures that your PPE is fully compliant. We understand you don’t have time for needless complexity, and our five-minute ordering process makes the purchasing process a breeze!