For many industries, safety glasses are the most essential piece of personal protective equipment (PPE) that a worker can wear. Not only do high-quality safety glasses protect the eyes from flying debris, they can protect them from chemical splashes and spills. Some specialized safety glasses even offer a degree of protection from ultraviolet light!
While you may assume that all safety glasses are relatively the same, different industries have unique safety requirements, so they need specialized safety glasses. Not only do different industries have their own needs, but those who must wear prescription glasses while they work also need to wear safety glasses that can protect them while simultaneously accommodating their everyday glasses.
Today, we will provide a comprehensive guide to safety glasses for different types of work. More specifically, we will look at safety glasses that can be worn over prescription glasses. By looking at the best options for safety glasses over glasses, we can ensure that you can maintain proper visibility while protecting your eyes!
5 Safety Glasses Over Glasses for Various Industries
1. Construction Industry
If you have ever worked in construction, you know how many potential eye hazards a construction worker can face in a typical day. Flying debris can cause severe trauma to exposed eyes, and outdoor job sites can expose the eyes to windblown dust and powerful UV rays.
To keep construction workers’ eyes safe, their safety glasses must have incredibly high impact resistance. For outdoor job sites, they also need to offer some degree of UV protection. The best safety glasses over glasses must also have a wraparound design that protects from windblown objects and side impacts.
What are the best safety glasses over glasses for the construction industry?
Dewalt DPG82 Concealer Anti-Fog Dual Mold Safety Goggle
These high-impact safety glasses from DeWalt are ideal for construction workers looking for a reliable pair to accommodate their prescription glasses. The goggle-style design serves two essential functions. For starters, it provides the room the wearer needs to wear their prescription glasses comfortably. Secondly, the design helps keep airborne dust and debris from irritating the eyes from the sides.
Beyond the design enabling the wearer to wear glasses beneath, we also like that these safety glasses have an anti-fog and anti-smoke lens. The clear coating provides lasting fog protection, while vented channels help to improve breathability.
These incredibly comfortable and practical safety glasses are ideal for any construction site.
2. Manufacturing Industry
While similar to the construction industry, the manufacturing industry has unique safety requirements. With metal grinding, spot welding, and various other processes all posing their own dangers to exposed eyes, workers must wear specialized safety glasses with high shatter and impact resistance and visual clarity.
For those working in manufacturing facilities where welding occurs, it might be necessary to wear safety glasses that protect against infrared light.
What are the best safety glasses over glasses for the manufacturing industry?
HexArmor VS300 Safety Glasses with Anti-Fog and Scratch-Resistant Coatings
These high-impact safety glasses from HexArmor are ideal for most jobs in the manufacturing industry. They have a permanent anti-fog coating, which prevents fogging on the lens’s outer and inner surfaces. They also offer protection from ultraviolet light and other types of light that can damage the eyes with regular exposure.
We also like that they are incredibly comfortable, thanks to the adjustable arms and nose piece and the soft padding. To extend the lifespan of the safety glasses, they also have a durable anti-scratch coating. Overall, they are a versatile option that will work well for most industries, but they are perfectly suited to those working in indoor manufacturing facilities.
3. Medical Research Industry
As you may know, those working in various healthcare clinics and medical research facilities need to wear some form of eye protection. The safety glasses required for this industry must have full wraparound coverage, as they must protect the eyes from liquids and chemicals that could pose a biohazard to the wearer’s eyes.
They also need to be big enough to accommodate the wearer’s prescription glasses beneath without compromising their airtight protection. Since many working in these high-tech research facilities also need to spend significant time looking at various screens, the safety glasses they wear should also offer an anti-glare coating. This reduces the chances that the wearer must remove their eye protection as they work.
What are the best safety glasses over glasses for the medical research industry?
Optical Care FDA-registered anti-fog fit-over-glasses safety goggles
These unique safety goggles deliver a protective polyvinyl chloride lens with a long-lasting anti-fog coating. The goggles’ frame is lightweight and flexible, so it can accommodate most prescription glasses frames without compromising the protection they offer the eyes.
The adjustable headband enables a secure and comfortable fit. They also provide complete protection from splashes, droplets, and airborne particles. As a bonus, they even have a UV filtering coating which helps filter out blue light generated by computer screens.
4. Woodworking and Carpentry Industry
Anyone working with wood regularly will tell you how important it is to wear eye protection. Wood chips, splinters, dust, and other debris can irritate the eyes or cause serious injuries.
Choosing a pair of high-impact, shatterproof safety glasses that can withstand the force generated by flying wood fragments is essential. It is also a good idea to wear safety glasses that offer side protection, as sawdust can get in from the sides and cause pain and irritation to exposed eyes.
Finally, a good anti-fog coating is a good idea, as woodworking can be extremely dangerous if you do not always have complete visibility. To ensure the safety glasses last, choosing a pair with a solid anti-scratch coating is also a good idea. Given how abrasive wood can be, uncoated lenses could become damaged quickly in most woodworking facilities.
What are the best safety glasses over glasses for the woodworking and carpentry industries?
NoCry anti-scratch wraparound OSHA-certified safety glasses
These versatile safety glasses offer many features you would need if you were cutting and sanding wood regularly. The wraparound design helps protect the eyes from flying particles on all sides. They are also designed specifically to accommodate and protect prescription glasses.
The lenses are incredibly durable and feature a clear UV 400nm scratch-resistant coating, so you will not have to worry about losing visibility with regular use. This same coating also means that the lenses block out 90% to 100% of harmful UV rays, which is also a great option if you work outdoors.
We like that they have an adjustable design and soft padding on the arms, ensuring they are comfortable to wear for lengthy periods. Unlike other wraparound safety glasses, which can pressure the ears, these safety glasses are designed to be worn for an entire 10-hour workday without discomfort.
Overall, they are a great pair that would be ideal for any type of woodworking or carpentry job.
5. Landscaping and Stone Cutting Industries
Professional landscaping and outdoor stone cutting are two industries where eye protection is essential. Whether you are cutting and trimming branches, using power tools to put together a deck, or cutting patio stones for a walkway, exposed eyes are always at risk of serious injury.
Beyond flying debris, those working outdoors full-time must protect their eyes from long-term exposure to UV rays. This means landscapers and professional stone cutters must also choose safety glasses that offer UV protection.
In some cases, those working landscaping must also protect their eyes from splashing chemicals, like heavy-duty lawn fertilizers and pesticides. The safety glasses in these industries must be incredibly durable while offering UV protection and a tint to reduce eye strain.
What are the best safety glasses over glasses for the landscaping and stone-cutting industries?
3M Scratch resistant tinted safety glasses
These safety glasses are ideal for those who spend long hours outdoors. Not only do they accommodate most types of personal eyewear, but they also have an impact-resistant lens capable of fully blocking 99.99% of UVA and UVB rays.
These safety glasses have a gray-tinted lens to help reduce eye strain while working outdoors in daylight. While the tint makes it easier to see on bright days, it does not interfere with the wearer’s vision in any significant way, so you can still see what you are doing. The side guards also help provide added protection against airborne debris and can also prevent those painful pokes to the eye from loose branches.
The lens also features an anti-fog coating, so you will not have to worry about reduced visibility on those hot and sweaty days. One of the things we liked about these particular safety glasses is that they are so easy to clean. As anyone working in landscaping will tell you, everything you wear, including your safety glasses, can and will get dirty. These glasses are designed to wipe clean with warm water and mild soap.
If you are looking for safety glasses suitable for outdoor environments, you cannot go wrong with these tinted safety glasses from 3M.
What Factors Should You Consider When Choosing Safety Glasses?
No matter what type of safety glasses you need, there are always a few factors that you should take into consideration. For starters, you should look for safety glasses or goggles with adjustable straps or arms. This enables you to make sure that they fit securely and comfortably.
You must also consider durability, especially if you want the safety glasses to last. Look for high-quality options manufactured by reputable companies, like those we featured above. While they may cost more than the generic options, it is worth investing a little extra to protect your eyes.
You should also ensure that the safety glasses you choose have protective coatings to help you maintain full visibility. Anti-fog and anti-scratch coatings will help you maintain full visibility, even when working in a hot and humid environment.
Side protection is also vital if you work in an industry with significant airborne debris. Wraparound safety glasses, as are those with built-in side walls, are a good choice.
Finally, those working outdoors must protect their eyes from UV rays. While light radiation may not seem as pressing of a concern, especially when compared to flying objects, long-term exposure to UV rays can cause serious and lasting damage to your eyes. A good tint will also help you avoid eye fatigue and irritation on those bright summer days.
Final Words
By now, you understand that safety glasses are necessary for various industries. While many assume that all safety glasses serve the same essential function, you must choose safety glasses with the specialized features required for the particular industry you are working in.
Whether you need crystal-clear vision and durable impact resistance for an indoor manufacturing job or tinted lenses that provide complete side protection for an outdoor landscaping position, you must research and choose a well-made pair.
If you need to wear prescription glasses, you do not want to have to choose between visibility and eye protection. This is why selecting a pair of safety glasses that can fit over your glasses without compromising their protection is important.
Use the options we discussed to find the right pair for your unique needs. Remember, eye protection is not something that you should ever take lightly. All it takes is one small mistake, and you could suffer a life-changing eye injury you will never regret.
For those that work in hazardous professions, like metalworking, welding, and stone grinding, it could be worth improving your level of eye safety by adding a face shield to your eye protection arsenal. Again, you can never be too careful about eye protection!
Related Resources:
- Benefits of Anti Fog Safety Glasses: You Need To Know This
- Clear or Tinted Safety Glasses: Which Is The Best?
- Best Goggles For Dusty Conditions; Top Picks & Reviews
- Best Face Shield For Grinding; Best Investment