There are Health & Safety laws to ensure that you are safe and protected when doing your job. All safety specs and goggles must comply with British and European Standards, and there are different types of protection depending on the job you do. Some safety specs will stand up to impact while others are designed to resist heat, for example.

Health & Safety at Work Regulations require your employer to identify and evaluate workplace risk. This is commonly undertaken by the company safety officer. You may be then asked to go to a registered dispensing optician for the required protective eyewear to be measured, ordered and fitted.

Whether you are an engineer, a cleaner or a craftsman, you may work in a factory. Danger can arise from a number of places and situations in your work setting, and there are laws to ensure that your employer takes safety seriously. Depending on your role, you may be required to wear protective eyewear, either all the time or when on the factory floor.  Safety eyewear can be prescription or non-prescription and come in a variety of options including spectacles, goggles and shields.

Safety spectacles have side shields attached to the side of the frames to avoid any foreign objects entering the eye and surrounding area and it is likely that the lenses supplied will be plastic (thickened CR39), toughened glass (thermally or chemically), low energy impact materials, or materials such as Polycarbonate or Trivex.

Get advice from a registered dispensing optician or from your company safety officer.