Has OSHA Approved Your Prescription Safety Glasses?
Ordering prescription safety glasses online can be a daunting task to begin with; how do you know if your glasses are “OSHA approved”?
Prescription safety glasses are a crucial part of personal protective equipment for many job sites and work areas.
The first thing you should know if you’re searching for OSHA-approved prescription safety glasses is that OSHA itself does not approve safety eyewear or create standards for safety glasses. What you’re probably looking for are safety glasses with an ANSI Z87 safety rating, which will make them compliant with OSHA. ANSI creates the standard that safety eyewear must live up to. OSHA enforces the use of safety eyewear, ensuring that you are wearing the appropriate safety equipment on the job. The eyewear itself must meet or exceed a set of criteria to meet ANSI Z87 requirements, and it must be marked with the ANSI Z87 mark to be OSHA compliant.
If you need safety glasses and you wear prescription glasses, it’s a good idea to consider getting OSHA compliant prescription safety glasses as opposed to using fitovers or a goggle. The problem with wearing safety eyewear over your existing prescription glasses is that it encourages fogging and tends to cause poor optical conditions.
If you have never used prescription safety glasses in the past, you are probably fed up with fitover eyewear by now.
To be clear, prescription safety glasses are technically never “OSHA approved.” ANSI creates and approves the standards for safety glasses in the US, and OSHA enforces the use of them. So, if you’re looking for OSHA approved prescription safety glasses, what you actually need are ANSI Z87 rated safety glasses. Safety eyewear that is ANSI Z87 rated is generally compliant with OSHA regulations.
Safety glasses must meet the ANSI Z87 standard and bear the Z87 marking to be compliant with OSHA regulations for most job sites. Frames must have Z87 marked on all parts that could be removed (frame front, arms) and the lenses must be stamped with the lab’s initials (ours is PS) to meet ANSI Z87 standards and be OSHA-compliant.
Almost all of our prescription eyewear is ANSI Z87 rated and OSHA compliant. If you are shopping for OSHA-compliant prescription safety glasses on our site, you just need to make sure that the glasses you choose are marked “ANSI Z87 approved” on our site.
Polycarbonate is the best lens material to get for rx safety glasses. Prescription safety glasses with plastic or glass lenses may be ANSI Z87 approved, but they will not be as impact-resistant as prescription safety glasses with polycarbonate lenses.
Prescription safety glasses are available in wraparound styles or flat frames. OSHA-compliant prescription safety glasses can be either of these, but your choice should depend upon your prescription strength and your application.
If you have a strong prescription (can barely see without your glasses), you should ask us before you order rx safety glasses in a wraparound frame.
If you have a weak prescription and you want good side coverage, it is a good idea to get a wraparound frame. We can do most prescriptions between -5.00 and +2.00 in wraparounds.
While prescription safety glasses are technically never “OSHA approved,” they are OSHA compliant if they are ANSI Z87 approved. That is what OSHA requires on almost every American job site. If you are looking for Canadian or European standards, call our customer service hotline to speak with somebody about your options.
OSHA-compliant prescription safety glasses are an extremely useful addition to your safety equipment. You can customize your lens colors and use the glasses for sports and driving as well as on the job. Many of our customers find countless other uses for their prescription safety glasses after they order them for work.
If you have any questions about prescription safety glasses or which ones are best for you, give us a call or leave your questions in the comments below. Thanks for reading, and stay safe!