Beyond the Goggles: Navigating Eye and Face Protection

What are the right PPE solutions for the hazards present in the workplace?

• By Cindy Pauley
• Nov 19, 2024

Imagine a bustling workplace, with workers hustling around humming machinery, as products are swiftly loaded onto delivery trucks. However, amidst this vibrant scene, there is a troubling reality. Every year, thousands of workers are unable to envision this scene anymore. Amidst the productivity, the significance of protecting workers' eyes can be easily overlooked, leading to life-altering consequences.

In the workplace, our eyes and faces are continuously exposed to various risks such as flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals, dust, or light radiation. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported 18,510 eye-related lost time injuries in 2020. Additionally, in 2024, OSHA issued 2,074 violations specifically related to eye and face protection. Hazard protection must be viewed as more than simply regulatory compliance, but also as safeguarding long-term employee health.

While personal protective equipment (PPE) is typically required for most jobs, it should be considered as a last resort for protection. Priority should be given to higher levels of protection such as eliminating hazards through engineering controls like guards or barrier shields. When engineering or other controls are not sufficient for complete worker protection, the use of PPE becomes necessary.

How Do Eye and Face Injuries Happen?

Eye and face injuries can occur at any time when hazards align with particular materials, types of work, and worker behavior or decisions including. See Table 1.

Table 1

According to the BLS, approximately 40 percent of injured workers were wearing protective eyewear when the incident occurred. However, over 90 percent of the injuries resulted from objects or chemicals making their way around or under the eye protection. This highlights that when procedural or work practice gaps exist, workers can get hurt. 

Employers have a responsibility to provide, at no cost to the employee, eye and face protection specifically designed for hazards present in their workplace. This protection may include safety glasses with side shields, goggles, and face shields.

The Eyes Have It

Blindness from a workplace injury can strip you of the joy of seeing your favorite sights. Granted, there are some things we wish we didn’t see, like your six-year-old picking their nose during a school play; but we long to see other things repeatedly, like the beauty of a tropical paradise.

Our eyes play a crucial role in navigating our surroundings and interacting with people, animals, and items. They allow us to focus quickly and effortlessly on near or distant objects, perceive colors, and recognize potential danger. For many workers, the mere thought of an eye injury sends shivers down their spine. Unfortunately, others may see eye protection as an unwanted extra task or inconvenience. The reality, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), is that approximately 2,000 workers sustain a work-related eye injury every year, with about one-third of them requiring emergency hospital treatment. Without the proper protection, it’s only a matter of time before a serious eye injury occurs.

Eye protection includes the following types:

• Glasses with protective lenses;
• Goggles worn over corrective glasses; or
• Goggles that incorporate corrective lenses mounted behind the protective lenses.

Corrective lenses should be incorporated when sight assistance is needed. Comfort is another consideration for consistent use of eye protection and must be addressed. Safety glasses should rest firmly on the top of the nose and near, but not against, the face. They should never cause pain on the temples and should have a nose piece that prevents slippage due to moisture or sweat. Remember, the best protection is that which is worn!

Don’t Get Boggled by Goggles

Goggles provide a higher level of protection compared to safety glasses. They can prevent objects, dust, UV light, and chemicals from reaching the eyes that may otherwise find their way in. Additionally, goggles provide better blunt force protection thanks to their hard plastic surface and soft seals designed to fit snugly around the face. 

Don’t let the thought of wearing goggles give you implementation or enforcement anxiety, though. Manufacturers have made great strides in producing goggles that are both easier and more comfortable to wear. Goggles come in a variety of styles that workers may actually enjoy wearing, including:

• Flexible, cushioned goggles;
• Plastic eye shield goggles;
• Eyecups; and
• Wraparound safety glasses that convert to goggles with a soft plastic or rubber face.

Goggles may be vented, indirectly vented, or non-vented. Where chemicals are not a concern, vented options allow air flow and prevent condensation buildup on the lenses.

Facing the Facts

Let’s not forget face protection. Harm to the face can occur from flying debris, harmful chemicals, and other hazards. Face shields provide the highest impact protection and should be worn to guard against flying fragments, sprays, and grinding debris as well as chemical or biological (bloodborne) hazards.

When worn alone, however, face shields do not provide adequate protection for the worker. Therefore, OSHA states in letters of interpretation and other reference materials that safety glasses or goggles should still be worn under a face shield as the primary eye protection. This is important to protect workers especially when the shield is lifted or to prevent particles from getting under the shield and lodging in the eyes.

Face shields are made with different materials and in varying degrees of thickness. These materials must correspond with specific tasks to provide sufficient protection. As an example, specialty protection such as filtered helmets or goggles may be needed for welding operations or work around lasers.

OSHA’s Expectations

OSHA requires in 1910.133 (a)(1) that employers, “ensure that each affected employee uses appropriate eye or face protection when exposed to eye or face hazards from flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals, acids or caustic liquids, chemical gases or vapors, or potentially injurious light radiation.”

In other words, employers must provide suitable protection for the work being performed and ensure the protection is worn properly. Eye and face protection is required when there is a potential for injury not just to workers, but vendors, visitors, and others that may be exposed to hazards.

The standard also requires that eye and face protection is certified by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Certified protection will have “ANSI Z87.1” imprinted on the lens or frame. Additionally, employers must ensure affected employees use side protection, filter lenses, and appropriate protection for prescription eyewear to protect workers from hazards.

How can you stay compliant?

• Assess the workplace to determine if hazards are present, or are likely to be present, to understand the need for eye protection. (132(d)(1))
• Select a variety of ANSI-approved (133(b)(1)(i)) eye protectors that will effectively protect workers from hazards identified in the hazard assessment. (1910.132(d)(1)(i))
• Mandate and use eye protection when eyes are exposed to hazards. (132(d)(1)(i), 1910.133(a)(1))
• Ensure workers who wear prescription lenses wear eye protection that incorporates the prescription in its design, or wears eye protection over their prescription lenses. (133(a)(3))
• Communicate selection decisions and train on hazards, availability of protective equipment, and how to wear PPE. (132(d)(1)(ii), 1910.132(f))
• Ensure eye protection has side shields to block debris from sneaking into the eyes. (133(a)(2))
• Provide eye protection that properly fits each affected employee. (132(d)(1)(iii))
• Ensure eye protection is maintained and kept sanitary. (132(b))
• Dispose of damaged eye protection. (132(e))
• Train workers on workplace eye and face hazards and associated PPE requirements. (132(f))

The key takeaway to remember is that OSHA requires employers to protect worker’s eyes and faces by selecting glasses, goggles, or faceshields that provide the best protection from existing hazards.

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.