They are our window on the world and one of our most developed sensory organs, but too often our precious eyes get overlooked. Yet damage to them can have far-reaching consequences to body and soul. Protecting our eyes, then, should take centre stage along with other personal protection equipment in every situation we find ourselves, including work and play.
ISO’s expert subcommittee on eye and face protection has just released several standards for eye and face protection devices that protect against all possible hazards to the eyes, including ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) radiation, and take into account the latest developments in welding protection.
While various national standards exist, they are the first internationally agreed standards for eye and face protection and address the latest trends and technologies in eye protection use.
At work
The ISO 16321 series of standards specifies the general requirements for eye and face equipment that protects against common hazards seen in the workplace, such as flying particles, harmful gases, optical radiation, splashes and more.
It comes in three parts:
- ISO 16321-1, Eye and face protection for occupational use – Part 1: General requirements
- ISO 16321-2, Eye and face protection for occupational use – Part 2: Additional requirements for protectors used during welding and related techniques
- ISO 16321-3, Eye and face protection for occupational use – Part 3: Additional requirements for mesh protectors
On the sports field
The ISO 18527 series addresses eye and face protection equipment for skiing, swimming, racquetball and squash to ensure it shields effectively against potential hazards.
The three parts are:
- ISO 18527-1, Eye and face protection for sports use – Part 1: Requirements for downhill skiing and snowboarding goggles
- ISO 18527-2, Eye and face protection for sports use – Part 2: Requirements for eye protectors for squash and eye protectors for racquetball and squash 57
- ISO 18527-3, Eye and face protection for sports use – Part 3: Requirements and test methods for eyewear intended to be used for surface swimming
These standards and others related to eye and face protection were developed by ISO’s subcommittee SC 6, Eye and face protection, of technical committee ISO/TC 94, Personal safety – Personal protective equipment. The secretariat of ISO/TC 94/SC 6 is held by BSI, ISO’s member for the UK.
All standards can be purchased from your national ISO member or the ISO Store.