When Should Safety Glasses Be Worn?

Last Updated on Jan 26 2023

Safety glasses are an essential tool to protect your eyes. But when should you put on that protective eyewear, and when can you leave it in the toolbox? We break it all down for you here so you don’t end up with an eye injury because you didn’t pull out your safety glasses! 

When Should You Wear Safety Glasses?

There are quite a few applications where you should wear safety glasses, and some of them might surprise you. If you’re working for a traditional employer, OSHA requirements mandate that they train you on when you should wear safety glasses at your particular workplace.

That said, there are plenty of non-employment settings where you should wear safety glasses.

Common examples include outdoor activities, such as hunting, shooting, or fishing. State Farm estimates that 31,000 children and adults suffer eye injuries during sports each year and that 125,000 Americans injure their eyes at home each year! It’s why it’s recommended to wear safety glasses during home improvement projects, when cooking over open flames, when cleaning with strong chemicals, and even when using bungee cords to secure loads.

All these situations pose an inherent risk of something getting into your eye. Since your eyes are so sensitive, it’s not a risk that you want to take! If you think that there’s a chance that something might get into your eye, play it safe and put on the safety glasses!

Do You Need Safety Glasses If You Wear Glasses?

Absolutely! Safety glasses provide far more protection than regular glasses, and it’s why it’s essential that you wear safety glasses even if you wear regular glasses.

First, safety glasses are impact-resistant, whereas regular glasses typically are not. If a projectile hits your regular glasses, they can shatter, while safety glasses won’t.

Second, safety glasses close gaps that regular glasses leave. Such gaps are over and under the glasses and along the sides. These open spaces enable fine matter to get behind your glasses and into your eyes, whereas safety glasses prevent this from happening.

In short, even if you wear regular glasses, you need safety glasses for maximum protection. Don’t skimp on safety — regular glasses simply don’t make the cut!

Can You Wear Safety Glasses Over Glasses?

If you need to wear safety glasses and you can’t see properly without your regular glasses, you need to wear safety glasses over your regular glasses. However, it’s important that you get the right type of safety glasses for this.

Regular safety glasses can sit on top of your regular glasses and give you a bit of impact resistance, but they won’t close all the gaps for maximum protection. You want large safety glasses with an edge around them that enables them to fit over prescription glasses.

These glasses give you the impact resistance that you need and close all the gaps required for maximum protection.

Final Thoughts

You only get one set of eyes, so you should protect them! Safety glasses are one of the easiest and most effective ways to do this, so when in doubt, put on the safety glasses. If you don’t already have a pair, order one — the last thing that you want is to risk your eyes because you don’t have the proper protective equipment!

Featured Image Credit: voltamax, Pixabay