Canadian Occupational Safety

May 2014

Canadian Occupational Safety (COS) magazine is the premier workplace health and safety publication in Canada. We cover a wide range of topics ranging from office to heavy industry, and from general safety management to specific workplace hazards.

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May 2014 17 it's really needed, then it defeats the whole purpose." Linda Johnson is a freelance writer based in Toronto. She can be reached at lindajohnson@sympatico.ca. That might be an incentive for some people to wear eyewear. It makes them look good as well as protects them," he says. "After all, you can specify the best personal protective equipment. But if it's not worn properly, or when Five distinct styles for on- and off-the-job use from one Canada's most trusted brands. COMPARISON OF LENS MATERIALS Material Characteristics Polycarbonate • Strongest material for impact resistance • Lightweight • Can be coated for scratch resistance • Most have built-in UV radiation protection Plastic (CR39) • About one-half the weight of glass • Resistant to solvents and pitting • More choices for coatings and tinting Trivex • More impact resistant than CR39 Plastic • Less impact resistant than polycarbonate • UV radiation absorption properties Glass • High-density material (heavy lenses) • Loses impact resistance if scratched • Does not meet impact criteria as set by CSA Source: CSA Z94.3.1-09 - Selection, use, and care of protective eyewear a lens That might be an incentive for some people to wear eyewear. It makes them look good as well as protects them," he says. "After all, you can specify the best personal protective equipment. But if it's not worn properly, or when Plastic (CR39) Trivex Glass lens glare. The glare, when you're on a con- struction or mine site, for instance, is often more of a factor than the sun, especially in the winter," she says. Digital lenses allow for better optics and give employees the best chance of being able to see "anything that may be coming at them," says Kessler. "We can be so much more precise in how we lay the prescription out through the lens that we can widen the visual range of the (worker)," she says. Safety lenses are often coated to pre- serve their effectiveness against factors that impair visibility. An anti-scratch coating protects against scratches that can happen when glasses are carried in a worker's pocket, left on a workbench or exposed to abrasive elements. And an anti-fog coating can protect against condensa- tion forming on the lens. In selecting safety lenses, Shanahan says, managers should always remem- ber one size does not fi t all. Glasses bought in bulk are unlikely to address the requirements of the workplace environment or of workers' needs, proving less effective and uncomfort- able for some people. "Meeting individual needs can enable the worker to do his or her job better," he explains. "And there may also be a comfort factor. So, a person may be straining their eyes to see or the glasses feel physically uncomfort- able on the head. That's a disincentive for wearing them." Style, too, can encourage workers to wear safety eyewear, Shanahan says. Workers often used to complain pro- tective eyewear looked boxy and rigid and was bulky in size. But manufactur- ers now are producing glasses that are both effective and attractive. "They're getting a lot more space- age looking — wrap-around varieties. acuity. Clear, tinted, polarized and photochromic lenses offer various degrees of protection against ultravio- let light. Tinted lenses do not always have UV radiation protection built in. Workers who spend a great deal of time outdoors and in bright sunlight — such as oil rig workers and some public sector employees — should wear safety sunglasses. Welders, too, who can suffer severe eye damage by exposure to the UV light caused by arc fl ash, need tinted lenses. Getting the right tint for this kind of work is more involved, says Charlotte Kessler, vice-president of business development at Regina-based F.O. Safety Eyewear. "There's a wide array of UV tints, dif- ferent colours based on the different wave lengths they're looking to block," she says, adding there are few choices available in prescription. "With prescription, the tint process is different, so it's a lot harder to do. You can do outdoor tints and some basic colours. You just wouldn't be able to do infrared tints, that sort of thing." Use of tinted glasses depends on several factors, Kessler says. It is often policy-driven: some companies pro- hibit tints in certain areas. Where workers are going in and out of a site frequently, managers may choose tran- sition glasses, so employees are not changing back and forth. Other companies fi nd the colour doesn't change fast enough, creating a potential hazard. In these cases, they may opt to provide employees with two pairs of glasses: one clear, the other permanently tinted. Providing two pairs is the better option, Kessler says. Employees then have the protection they need in both situations. "You choose tint for outdoor work. And when they're outdoors, they can have a true polarized lens to block the

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