[Webinar Recap] Keep Your Eyes on Safety

Unfortunately, eye hazards exist in nearly every sector and industry.

Sustaining an eye injury can have devastating outcomes for workers and their family.  When a worker’s vision is damaged, his quality of life, ability to work, and do simple tasks are greatly affected.

Eye protection is an important matter, one that affects nearly every worker across the country. Preventing eye injuries should therefore be a priority for every safety professional and worker.

Since we get a lot of questions about safety glasses, regulations, and technologies, we decided to host once again our highly rated eye protection webinar: Keep Your Eyes on Safety in partnership with 3M, to offer you some insight and give you answers to your questions.

The goal? Help you make your own decisions on the kind of safety eyewear you need.

Among other things, the experts covered:

• A quick review of the RSST regulation and the CSA Z94.3 standard
• The science behind 3M safety glasses
• How to choose the right eyewear with the 3M Eyewear Fit Testing System
• Eye protection solutions

 

Safety glasses are essential. Eye injuries usually happen for two main reasons:

• The worker isn’t wearing eye protection.
• The worker is wearing the wrong kind of protection for the job.

 

Picking out the right eye protection for every worker—and getting them to wear it properly for the duration of their work shift—is key to significantly reducing ocular injuries.

What to look for?

When you shop for eye protection, look for the CSA certification mark.

Understanding CSA Group Certification:  CSA Standard Z94.3 – Protective Eyewear.

Goal:

• Ensures eyewear provides protection to various workplace hazards

• Identifies testing criteria that must be met

 

Key tests are conducted and must be passed to meet CSA and to display the CSA logo on the eyewear.

Coverage: make sure the eyewear covers the right area.

Velocity and impact: make sure that the safety glasses resist impact hazards. (6.4 mm steel ball is fired at several points at a speed of 46.5 m/s)

Clarity: make sure the lens is clear enough to allow optimal vision

Ignition resistance: make sure there’s no ignition or glow after test. (Steel rod (650+/- 20°C) touched to protector (5 sec))

Flame resistance: limited burn if subjected to flame. (burn rate <75 mm/min)

Changes to Standard Z94.3

In February 2020, the ninth edition of CSA Z94.3 Eye and Face Protectors was published. To maintain products as certified to the CSA Group standard, previously certified products were required to undergo recertification to the new 2020 standard. The deadline for recertification to the new standard was June 1st, 2021.

Major changes to the standard include:

• A change to the minimal frontal coverage of Class 2 protectors (goggles) and the removal of flammability requirements.
• There are no major testing changes to safety eyewear, except all protectors shall now bear the designation “Z94.3” on a portion of the protector to comply with the standard.

 

Changes made to clauses and test methods relating to eyewear and goggles resulted in better alignment with other global standards – for example ANSI and European standards. 

Types of Protective Eyewear – CSA Standard Z94.3

Class 1	Safety glasses (Impact/Nuisance Dust)
Class 2	Goggles (Impact/Nuisance Dust/Chemical Splash)
Class 3 and 4	Welding Helmets and Hand Shields
Class 5 (A, B, C, D)	Non-rigid Helmets (Hoods)
Class 6	Face shields
Class 7	Respirator Facepieces

Focus on the products

Now that you have a little more information on eye protection, you can shift your focus confidently on selecting the right eyewear.

3M manufactures top-of-line safety glasses, goggles and face shields — so you know you’re in good hands. 

Safety eyewear comes in a multitude of sizes, shapes, and styles. Here are some options.

3M Solus 1000 Series Safety Eyewear

Features:

• Optional vented gasket
• Removable temples
• Optional elastic strap
• Scotchgard™ Protector Anti-Fog Coating retains its effectiveness for at least 25 washings with water*
• Certified to CSA Z94.3 standard

 

Segment Focused:

• Mining
• Metal fabrication
• Construction
• Manufacturing
• Pharmaceutical

 

Goggle Gear Splash Goggle

Features:

• Removable strap
• Lens, frame, and strap can be quickly disassembled for cleaning
• Optional prescription inserts
• U6 rated polycarbonate lenses absorb 99.9% of UVA, UVB, and UVC rays between 200 nm and 380 nm
• Indirect venting
• Scotchgard™ Protector Anti-fog Coating
• Certified to CSA Z94.3 and meets the Impact-Rated Protector requirements of ANSI-ISEA Z87.1-2020

 

Segment Focused:

• Health care
• First responders
• Chemical manufacturing
• Pharmaceutical

 

3M SecureFit 200 Series with Scotchgard Anti-Fog Coating

Features:

• 3M pressure diffusion temple technology helps diffuse pressure over the ear for a secure, comfortable fit.
• U6 rated polycarbonate lenses absorb 99.9% of UVA, UVB, and UVC rays between 200 nm and 380 nm
• Scotchgard™ protector anti-fog coating
• Certified to CSA z94.3
• Meets the impact-rated protector requirements of ANSI-ISEA z87.1-2020

 

Blue accents help make eyewear more visible in food preparation/processing areas

• Blue branches
• Blue lenses (selected models)

 

Segment Focused:

• Food production
• Manufacturing
• Metal fabrication
• Construction
• Pharmaceutical

 

3M Solus Safety Eyewear 2000 Series

Features:

• U6 rated polycarbonate lenses absorb 99.9% of UVA, UVB, and UVC rays between 200 nm and 380 nm
• Removable foam-lined gasket Helps limit eye exposure to dirt and debris while providing added comfort and cushioning. (Select models)
• Scotchgard™ Protector Anti-Fog Coating helps provide fog and abrasion resistance. (Select models)
• Certified to CSA Z94.3
• Meets the Impact-Rated Protector requirements of ANSI-ISEA Z87.1-2020

 

Segment Focused:

• Automotive
• Chemical manufacturing
• Construction
• Facility maintenance
• Food and beverage manufacturing
• Oil and gas

 

Find the right safety glasses

WE WANT TO THANK THE EXPERTS FROM 3M AND SPI FOR THEIR EXCELLENT PRESENTATION:

Nick Marshall
Safety Specialist | Personal Safety
3M Canada Company

Nick Marshall has been a Safety Specialist with 3M Canada Personal Safety Division for 4 years. During this time, he has represented a large safety portfolio in the Lower Mainland and Interior of British Columbia. Prior to joining 3M, Nick spent 6 years in industrial sales, most of which was spent meeting customers' PPE needs. Early in his sales career Nick worked in Veterinary sales, technically supporting IV pump, ECG, anesthetic and diagnostic equipment in British Columbia.