Personal eye and face protection equipment

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - Includes all equipment designed to provide protection to the wearer from potential hazards to the eyes, face, hands, head, feet, ears, and extremities.

What is the eye/face protection?

Eye/Face Protection Equipment designed to provide protection to the face and eyes during exposure to such hazards as flying particles, molten metal or sparks, liquid chemicals, acids or caustic liquids, or potentially injurious light radiation (i.e., lasers, welding, etc.)

Who has to provide PPE?

The employer must ensure that each affected employee uses eye protection that provides side protection when there is a hazard from flying objects. Detachable side protectors (e.g., clip-on or slide-on side shields) meeting the pertinent requirements of this section are acceptable. The employer must ensure that each affected employee who wears prescription lenses while engaged in operations that involve eye hazards wears eye protection that incorporates the prescription in its design, or shall wear eye protection that can be worn over the prescription lenses without disturbing the proper position of the prescription lenses or the protective lenses.

Eye and face PPE must be distinctly marked to facilitate identification of the manufacturer.

The employer must ensure that each affected employee uses equipment with filter lenses that have a shade number appropriate for the work being performed for protection from injurious light radiation. The following is a listing of appropriate shade numbers for various operations. 

Protective eye and face protection devices must comply with any of the following consensus standards:

1. ANSI Z87.1-2003, American National Standard Practice for Occupational and Educational Eye and Face Protection, which is incorporated by reference in 1910.6; 
2. ANSI Z87.1-1989 (R-1998), American National Standard Practice for Occupational and Educational Eye and Face Protection, which is incorporated by reference in 1910.6;
3. ANSI Z87.1-1989, American National Standard Practice for Occupational and Educational Eye and Face Protection, which is incorporated by reference in 1910.6. 

Protective eye and face protection devices that the employer demonstrates are at least as effective as protective eye and face protection devices that are constructed in accordance with one of the above consensus standards will be deemed to be incompliance with the requirements of this section.

Employees whose occupation or assignment requires exposure to laser beams shall be furnished laser safety goggles as required by Occupational Health Regulations which will protect for the specific wavelength of the laser and be of optical density adequate for the energy involved. 

How do you put on PPE?

• Idntify hazards & manage risk. Gather the necessary PPE.
• Put on gloves (over cuff).
• Put on a gown.
• Step 3a. Put on face shield.
• Avoid contamination of self, others & the environment. Remove the most heavily contaminated items first.
• Perform hand hygiene.
• Step 3b. Put on mask and eye protection.

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