OSHA and ANSI - The Standard for Safety Glasses

Over 70, 000 people develop eye injuries annually at work in the United States alone. That adds up to $300 million and 17, 000 missed workdays every year, but most incidents are completely preventable. Studies show that 90% of workplace eye injuries could have been avoided with the correct safety eyewear, so your choice in safety glasses has a direct impact on your business' capacity to thrive. Still, the safety glasses market can be difficult to navigate. There are thousands of options and brands available today, so it can be difficult to establish quality. That's where OSHA and ANSI come in. Both organizations have developed a set of manufacturing standards to light your way.

OSHA

​OSHA and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) have developed a body of knowledge to support workplace safety standards. OSHA is responsible for enforcing standards related to occupational health and safety. All U.S. employers are required to comply with the organization's PPE standard. The 29 CFR 1910.132 covers general PPE, while the 29 CFR 1910.133 covers the standards relating to the eyes and face. OSHA also holds businesses to a worksite assessment that identifies all the hazards in your work environment, including impact, radiation, chemical splashes, and airborne hazards.

ANSI

ANSI creates manufacturing standards for prescription safety glasses frames. All prescription ANSI safety glasses have a code at the temple covering:

• The size of the frames according to ANSI Z80.5-2010.
• The impact types that lenses can withstand. Z-87 covers basic impact, while Z98-2 and Z-87 cover high impact.
• The dust and splash protection of the frames and lenses, as denoted by D3 for splash protection, and D4 and D5 for dust protection.
• Infrared light protection, as denoted by a "U".
• Welding protection.
• Variable tints or transition lenses that darken in sunlight.
• Special purpose lenses.
• Polarized lenses that combat glare.
• Anti-reflective AR coatings that protect against blue light.
• An additional "+" mark next to a W or Z87 marking denoting whether the glasses have passed a high impact test.

​Safety Goggles' markings are located along the top of the seal rather than at the temple. This code tells you if your goggles are resistant to liquid splashes (D3), dust (D4), or fine dust (D5).
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ANSI Z87 safety eyewear also carries a set of codes covering additional protection. They include:

• 2C: UV protection that doesn't reduce color recognition
• 1,2: Lenses that offer between 74.4 and 100% light transmission
• W: The manufacturer's code
• 1: Glasses with low refractive power
• K: Scratch-resistant
• N: Resistant to fogging.

No business can survive on ANSI codes alone. The perfect safety designations will fall apart if the goggles are poorly fitted. It's also crucial for every workplace to have an accurate and detailed understanding of each worker's risks. Prescription lenses are another crucial factor. Poor vision can cause a host of injuries, no matter how tough your ANSI safety glasses are.

ANSI's optical lens material guidelines help you to choose the safest options for your unique environment and prescription requirements.

• Glass ANSI safety glasses are Z87-approved for environments that are prone to scratches and clouding. Glass offers excellent durability and clarity, but its lack of impact resistance makes it a poor choice for certain environments. This lens material also tends to be heavier and more expensive.
• Standard plastic lenses are light, clear, and impact-resistant, but they aren't suitable for extreme prescriptions.
• Polycarbonate is renowned for its extreme impact resistance and light weight, so it's the most popular safety glass lens option. Polycarbonate products that meet the ANXI Z8Z+ pass a high mass and velocity test and can tolerate extreme impact.
• Trivex ANSI safety glasses are 10% lighter than standard plastic but are impact resistance enough to meet the ANSI Z87+ standard.

Understanding Splash and Dust Protection

​ANSI's "D" code denotes eyewear that meets the ANSI Z87.1 for droplet and dust protection, but it's frequently misunderstood. The now defunct ANSI/ISEA 2010 standard used to rate eyewear for chemical splash, but the new Z87.1-2015 rating only rates eyewear that passes a liquid splash test of general fluids. Splash dust protection is provided when goggles form a protective seal around the eye that prevents fluid from entering around them, so they're as efficient with dust as they are droplets.

The Importance of Frames

​Even the highest ANSI ratings can be rendered useless if the frames are poorly fitting. A snug fit is every bit as important as a good lens. Safety glasses must be more than just correctly sized. Comfort is crucial because PPE compliance quickly disintegrates if your staff are constantly taking their glasses off.

​For that reason, online purchases are less than ideal. Your employees need to experience the way their glasses feel on their faces. Are they too top-heavy or narrow? Do they feel too tight against the sides of the face? Will they stay in place during work? Do they provide the necessary peripheral vision? These are all issues that a professional optician can assist you with. Every face shape carries glasses differently, so custom choices are integral to OSHA compliance.

Creating a Program for Z87 Safety Glasses

OSHA has set a high bar for prescription PPE. The agency has conducted comprehensive on-site research into workplace hazards, so the best resource for approved Z87 safety glasses is OSHA itself. OSHA's approved safety glasses guarantee you the highest quality products on the market today, and Bridge Safety Vision helps you to access them more easily than ever before. Our voucher-based system lets you define ANSI standards online.

​You can set spending limits and minimum resistance in a matter of minutes, and we'll take care of the rest. Your employees will receive a digital voucher, which they can use at their closest Walmart Vision Center. Our digital payment card will handle your costs easily and accurately, so you can feel safe in the knowledge that your staff chooses the correct impact, radiation, and splash protection. The Bridge program is designed to minimize human error and make your PPE program as simple as possible.