How to choose your protective eyewear?

Wearing safety glasses during your work is essential to protect your eyes and reduce risks related to solid or liquid projections. They also help improve comfort.

Table of Contents:

• Safety glasses

• The standards

Safety glasses are personal protective equipment (PPE) designed to protect the eyes from potential hazards such as impacts, splashes, projections, UV radiation, gases and chemical vapors, etc.

The risks to which the user will be exposed must be taken into account, as well as the applicable safety standards in the industry or work environment. Safety glasses must be compliant with EN 166 standard to guarantee their effectiveness.

Safety glasses can have different characteristics, such as shape, size, frame material, lens type (clear, tinted, polarized, etc.) and surface coating (anti-scratch, anti-fog, anti-static, etc.). It is important to choose comfortable and well-fitted safety glasses for optimal protection.

Eye protection has 3 distinct forms:

• Safety glasses with temples

• Goggle-style glasses or protective mask

• The safety overglasses

Here are some tips for choosing your protection:

• for mechanical risks (projections of liquids or solids, dust): safety glasses with temples, goggle-style glasses and face shields;

• for chemical and biological risks (splashes of toxic products, abrasives, chemicals and contamination risks): goggle-type glasses;

• for radiation (UV rays, lasers and infrared): safety glasses with temples or goggle-style glasses.

In addition to standard safety glasses, there are special safety glasses for particular situations, such as welding glasses, laser protection glasses and safety glasses for extreme sports.

Safety glasses and masks are subject to several safety standards to ensure worker safety :

• EN166 for general requirements on eye protection;

• EN167 for optical testing methods;

• EN168 for non-optical testing methods.

The domain numbers for uses indicated on the temples of safety glasses:

• 3: droplets and splashes;

• 4: large dust particles (>5 µm);

• 5: gases and fine dust particles (

• 8: short-circuit electric arcs;

• 9: molten metal and hot solids.

The resistance symbols indicate:

• F: low energy mechanical resistance;

• S: Reinforced strength;

• B: medium energy impact resistance;

• A: high energy mechanical resistance;

• T: impact resistance at extreme temperatures (from - 5 °C to + 55 °C);

• K: scratch resistance;

• N: fog resistance.

• CE marking