Face shields are a necessity in many professions and for a variety of tasks in the workplace or at home. OSHA requires using face shields when workers are exposed to flying objects, molten metal, liquid chemical compounds, acids or caustic liquids, chemical gasses or vapors, or doubtlessly hazardous light radiation. Particular jobs requiring using face shields embody metal workers, some medical employees, industrial painters and staff in chemical plants. While not all employment and tasks require a face shield, they’re typically ignored and should be used more often.
5 Reasons To Use A Face Shield
Flying particles: Dust and different fine materials can fly into your eyes. When using chainsaws, angle grinders or comparable power tools, you must always use a face shield.
Splash hazards: When handling acids, corrosives, chemical adherents or strippers and or with body fluids you must wear face shields. Typical safety eyewear doesn’t provide the mandatory liquid splash protection required for these type of hazards.
Extreme heat: When performing furnace upkeep, participating in welding or handling any molten substance it is best to use a face shield. Some face shields, typically employed in foundries, have special coatings to provide extra protection from extreme temperatures.
Arc Hazards: Electricians working with high voltage connections need protection from potential arc explosions, which can lead to severe burns and death! Only specifically designed face shields needs to be used. The Elvex ARC-Shield is an example of a face shield specifically designed to protect towards arc flash.
High-velocity impact hazards: Safety glasses do a fantastic job of protecting your eyes. Nonetheless, they can’t protect your face. Plus, safety glasses could fail if hit by an object with sufficient mass or velocity. Face shields provide an extra level of protection from high-mass and high-velocity impact hazards. With that being said, it’s always really useful to wear safety eyewear underneath your face shield.
Fortunately, safety glasses stopped this broken angle-grinder disk because a face shield ought to have been worn.
5 Face Shield Options To Consider
Side protection on face shields provides increased protection from lateral hazards. It’s a natural intuition to show your face away from an object flying towards you. Nevertheless, this might expose your eyes or face to the incoming hazard. Be certain that your face shield has adequate side protection, particularly if you’re working around liquid splash or radiation hazards.
Goggle types such because the Jackson MonoShield with Goggles or Bolle Atom Shield provide another option for face protection when working in clean rooms, metal processing, foundries, mining, building and more. These face shields mix a removable goggle with a face shield. This characteristic provides the ability to switch the goggle if it turns into scratched or damaged. Plus, you could discover these face shields easier to make use of in lab environments, because the face shield fits closer to your face.
Headgear – Face shields are typically worn with headgear or mounted to a traditional hard hat. Consider the type of atmosphere you’ll be working in and select the appropriate headgear system. Most face shield producers provide adapters for mounting their products on hard hats.
Face shields are available in removable or lift-front designs. Removable face shields allow for easy replacement while lift-front kinds will be lowered and raised quickly as the task requires.
Face shield materials comes in polycarbonate, Lexan or wire mesh models. Polycarbonate and Lexan protect towards impacts and are available in clear or tinted versions. Wire mesh face shields are standard with loggers and provide protection from impacts, plus they don’t fog up. Nevertheless, wire mesh face shields should not be used for work involving chemical, liquid splash, or fine mud hazards.
Think Safety Glasses AND Face Shield
Face shields do a wonderful job of providing extra eye and face protection from a wide range of dangers. However, it’s best to always wear safety glasses under your face shield because the underside and sides of face shields typically have gaps. Liquid or particles passing by way of these gaps can contact your eyes, probably causing an injury.
Make sure you take the time to judge the hazards in your work area and select the appropriate eye and face protection.