Face Shields

Face Shields

Your eyes – some refer to them as windows to the soul. Others simply use them to see. Either way, it’s hard to argue that your eyesight isn’t important. When working in at-height, industry, and construction there is no shortage of hazardous situations, materials, and chemicals that can be flying around the job site all day, every day. With your eyes being a crucial part of your profession, keeping them safe is a priority. That’s why face shields are such an important part of your PPE setup.

A face shield is…SPOILER ALERT a shield that covers your face. Face shields can have a few different purposes. While many of them act as both a pair of safety glasses and a protective covering for your face, some of them feature a wire mesh instead of a lens. Face shields that feature a wire mesh are meant to protect your face and eyes from large particles and debris. It is important to note that wire mesh face shields do not have any sort of tenting benefit and many don’t meet any ANSI standards.

Some face shields are built for specialty applications like welding. Welding face shields usually have two configurations - a clear configuration and a welding configuration. The welding configuration features a lens that has been specifically developed to protect your eyes from the intense light generated when welding. Many welding shields also have respiratory features to help filter out chemicals.

For the face shields that feature a lens, it is important to know if that lens meets ANSI Standards and, if it does, what standards it meets. After all, anyone can claim that their face shields are safe – that’s why standards have been put in place. Specifically, the ANSI Z87.1 Standard for eye protection. The Z87.1 Standard outlines what requirements safety glasses must meet as well as how they should be tested.

The ANSI Z87.1 Standard has four different qualifying tests. If the eye protection passes the first test, they meet the Z87.1 Standard. This means they are good protection, but not great as this test does not qualify the glasses for use in impact hazard situations. If you are going to be doing work where there is or might be, an impact hazard your eye protection must meet the remaining 3 tests. If it does, it will have the Z87+ marking.

Sometimes there are jobs that require even more protection than the Z87+ Standard requires. That is where military grade eye protection should be used. The MIL-PRF 32432 Standard represents that the eye protection has passed an additional round of testing.

For more information on the ANSI Z87.1, Z87+, and MIL-PRF 32432 Standards and for details on the testing process, check out our blog post here.

Got questions or looking for a specific style of face shield? Click here to get in touch with one of our Gear Experts®.