Which protection for which hazard
OSHA asks for eye or face protection whenever there is a hazard from flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals, acids or caustic liquids, chemical gases or vapors, or injurious light. Prevent Blindness puts the choice in one line each: safety glasses with side protection for particles and dust, goggles for chemicals, and special-purpose glasses, goggles, shields or helmets for welding and other radiation.
| Hazard | At least | Add for more |
|---|---|---|
| Dust, chips, flying particles | Safety glasses with side protection | A face shield over the glasses for grinding |
| Chemical splash | Goggles (indirect vent or non-vented) | A face shield over the goggles |
| Molten metal, sparks, heat | Goggles or glasses under a face shield | A high-heat or fiberglass crown shield |
| Welding arc | Helmet or hand shield with the right shade | Safety glasses under the helmet |
| Gas welding, cutting, brazing | Shaded goggles or glasses (Shade 3 to 6) | A Shade 5 IR face shield window over them |
A face shield goes over glasses, not instead of them
OSHA's guide to protective equipment says it plainly: face shields protect against splashes and sprays of hazardous liquids, droplets and particles, but will not provide adequate protection against impact hazards. Worn over goggles or safety spectacles, they add splash and impact protection to the eyes. That is why every face shield on this site is meant to go on over a pair of glasses or goggles, never in place of them.
Z87 and Z87+ on the lens
Safety eyewear and face shields made to ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 are marked or stamped with it. NIOSH explains the two common marks: Z87 for normal safety wear and Z87+ for high impact, with Z87-2 and Z87-2+ on prescription eyewear. For a Z87+ rating the standard requires wrap-around coverage or side shields on safety glasses. The American Academy of Ophthalmology tells home users the same thing: look for ANSI Z87.1 on the lens or frame and choose Z87.1+ where you can.
The current edition is ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2025. ISEA says it brings clearer markings that tell you which hazard a product is made for. OSHA accepts devices built to the 2010, 2003 or 1989 editions, or ones the employer shows to be as effective.
If you wear prescription glasses
OSHA asks that a worker who needs corrective lenses wears eye protection with the prescription built in, or protection that fits over the prescription glasses without pushing either pair out of place. Over-the-glass safety glasses and goggles with room for frames are made for exactly that.
Hearing protection and the NRR
Every earplug and earmuff sold in the U.S. carries a Noise Reduction Rating on its package, a figure in decibels that EPA says runs from about 0 to 30 on existing protectors. NIOSH warns that the NRR often does not reflect the protection a given worker gets, and that most workers get less than half of it. Fit is the difference: a foam plug rolled and inserted deep, a muff sealed all the way around the ear. OSHA notes that glasses, facial hair, long hair and chewing all break the seal of an earmuff.
OSHA requires a hearing conservation program from an 8-hour average of 85 dBA, and NIOSH recommends earmuffs over earplugs at 100 dBA and above or around impulse noise.
Knees on hard floors
A NIOSH alert on carpet layers found that they filed 6.2 percent of all workers' compensation claims for traumatic knee injury while making up less than 0.06 percent of the workforce, and that they seldom wore knee pads. Its advice, and OSHA's for anyone who kneels at work, is short: use knee pads when kneeling.
Glasses, goggles, shields, ear protection and knee pads for each row of the tables above are in the Sellstrom protection range.
