Eyewear Policy and Selection

Safety Eyewear must be worn at all times if work with hazardous materials, or machinery, is being done by you, or anyone in the lab. Departments or PIs should pay for eyewear if they are required for the job.

What are Safety Glasses? All safety eyewear must meet the ANSI-Z87.1 1989 standard to provide sufficient protection. Devices which meet these standards will have "Z87.1-1989" marked on them, usually on the frame. Safety eyewear is generally constructed of shatterproof "polycarbonate" plastic.

Regular glasses are not safety glasses. Individuals who normally wear glasses should purchase safety glasses (polycarbonate lens) with their prescription.

Contact lenses do not provide protection (in fact, contacts should not be worn in the lab since they may become extremely difficult to remove from the cornea in case of chemical contact, and they can trap fumes, vapor and splashes next to the eye).

Safety glasses with side shields clearly offer superior protection to those without them.

Splash goggles offer even better protection because they shield the entire area around the eyes. They must be worn at all times when corrosives chemicals such as concentrated acids and bases are used – these materials can easily cause instantaneous and serious eye damage.

Standing shields and face shields generally offer protection for an even greater body surface area.

Ultraviolet and infra-red absorbing spectacles should be used when the possibility of exposure to these sources exists.

Laser Safety Eyewear - Eyewear designed for protection against a laser beam is not the same as general safety eyewear. Laser safety eyewear has to be specifically matched to the corresponding laser wavelength, optical density and damage threshold requirements. Assistance may be obtained by contacting the laser vendor, or the EH&S Laser Safety Officer at x3588.