Selecting the best lens for welders' eye protection. The FABRICATOR September 2003 October 9, 2003 By: Julie Copeland. Nbaa Personal Use Of Business Aircraft Handbook Colvin. In the industrial environment, safety glasses.

Selecting the best lens for welders' eye protection October 9, 2003 By: In the industrial environment, safety glasses are a necessity for jobs that put employees' eyes at risk of exposure to heat, impact, chemicals, or dust. Samsung Programs For Reinstall. But workers also need protection from nonimpact dangers, such as radiant energy, eye strain, and fatigue.

So choosing the appropriate lens or filter plate for your workers' eye protection is just as important in preventing eye injury as is selecting the appropriate style of safety eyewear. The Dangers of Ultraviolet and Infrared Light Radiant energy exposure, also called optical radiation, occurs with work applications that involve intense concentrations of ultraviolet (UV), infrared (IR), and intense visible light. Arc welding and cutting, as well as laser welding, cutting, and brazing, can expose workers to this type of radiation.

1 Exposure to UV and IR rays can damage the eyes and the skin. Sometimes damage occurs without the worker realizing it, because UV and IR radiation cannot be seen. Exposure to UV light can lead to photokeratitis, a painful experience more commonly known as snow blindness or welder's flash. IR light is fundamentally less damaging, but workers in blast furnace environments should be protected against exposure, which has been associated with chronic damage to the human lens. Workers are at risk of welder's flash injury even when they are not involved directly in the welding process. While pupillary reflex and shading of the eyes are natural reflexes to guard the eye from exposure, eye protection is still necessary to protect those who may accidentally be exposed to a welding arc. While the type of protection you choose ultimately depends on your employees' work applications, the following is a general guide to the types of lenses and equipment available to protect welders from exposure to optical radiation.