This section covers the different types of PPE that a welder may encounter on the job pertaining to their eyes. This can be varying types of glasses, a fully enclosed face mask, side shields for glasses, or a welding hood. OSHA 1926.102 is the regulation specific to face and eye protection in construction trades. It also states that if there is an option for either glasses or a face shield, the face shield must provide the same or better protection to the eyes as the required safety glasses for the task. For example, if you’re working as a laser operator, your face shield must be rated for the same UV and IR protection to your eyes as the safety glasses if you don’t have to wear both by the employer. While wearing both safety glasses and a welding helmet may not be required, it is highly encouraged.

Glasses

Eye protection should be worn at all times. You only have one set of eyes: choosing the correct glasses can have life-changing effects.

Most employers will set their minimum requirements for their employees. When choosing the appropriate eye protection, consider not only what materials you are working on, but also what is in your surrounding area in your workplace. Are there chemicals, fumes, ash, hot particles, intense light contractions, wood chips, or metal splinters? Do your safety glasses need to withstand impact or flying debris?

General safety glasses that meet the ANSI Z87.1-2020 standard are impact-resistant, clear, and constructed of either plastic (most common) or metal. These are the absolute minimum PPE though, and do not protect against chemicals or splashes.

As a welder, you may be in a shop that does not require that you wear safety glasses under a welding helmet, just that one or the other be worn at all times. Think about the last time you were in a weld shop or school. Consider that when you weld with GMAW, FCAW, or SMAW processes they produce a lot of sparks and molten spatter. You may even see a spark inside your welding hood! More protection is better than less or none at all.

There are safety glasses rated for different work. For example, if you are a welder and a laser cutter your laser-cutting glasses are going to be rated differently and filter out different UV spectrum lights than the standard ANSI A87.1 safety glasses. Several fabrication shops have multiple operations that may require you to change out your PPE depending on where you are in the shop or on a jobsite.

Goggles

Sometimes there may be a call for something that conceals and secures the eyes even more than safety glasses. Goggles can add that extra layer of protection in areas where there are more airborne particles or chemicals around. There are also welding-specific goggles that offer all-over eye protection by fully covering the eye area while also having removable and changeable lenses.

Tinted welding safety goggles also need to meet ANSI Z87.1 standards and can be worn to protect the eyes during oxy-fuel gas welding and cutting.

Safety goggles also fit over prescription lenses. Impact goggles secure the wearer from flying debris but, due to the vent holes along the sides, they offer no protection from chemicals, dust, and splashes. Chemical splash goggles are required for those working up to 10 feet from the use of a chemical or harmful liquid substance that may produce a splash.

Shields

There are two major different face shields: clear and shaded. Some are even polarized for glare protection. Shaded shields should be worn in congruence with safety glasses during grinding or oxy-fuel gas welding or cutting operations.

OSHA regulations require that “each affected employee uses appropriate eye or face protection when exposed to eye or face hazards from flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals, acids or caustic liquids, chemical gases or vapors, or potentially injurious light radiation.” For welders, this may be something as simple as using the grind mode feature on an auto-darkening hood. But in cases where a welder removes their hood to grind, cut, or use chemicals such as nitric acid for etching, they must wear a clear face shield and safety glasses. This applies even if they are inspecting areas where these things are taking place rather than performing the tasks.

Helmets and Hoods

Auto-darkening, fixed-shade, flip-front, and powered air-purifying respirators (PAPR) are all different types of welding helmets and hoods, and the selections are vast. Choosing the right one for you can depend on the demands of a job as well as the cost, fit, style, and your personal preference. In the section below we cover some of the different settings you may encounter on a welding helmet or hood. Not all of these features are available, and not all of them have the same ranges as others.

Some welding helmets feature shade adjusters. For auto-darkening welding helmets, the worker can use one helmet for an array of different welding procedures. The helmet will have a sensor that is designed to detect the UV/IR light from the welding arc and then darken the lens to meet the preselected setting.

Fixed-shade helmets do not have this feature. The welder will need to select a darker or lighter lens insert depending on the welding current and operation. Once the welder has pulled their helmet down over their face, they are in the dark until they strike an arc to begin hot work. This means a welder will need to lift their entire helmet and face protection to see after the arc has extinguished.

Flip-front helmets have a clear lens with a flip-down shaded filter plate installed over the viewing window, allowing the welder to lift up the filter plate without removing their helmet to see. This also provides face protection from sparks and debris in the field.

Reference: ANSI Z49.1:2012

*Start with a shade that is too dark to see the weld zone. Then, go to a lighter shade which gives a sufficient view of the weld zone without going below the minimum.

Different welding processes emit different UV/IR rays. UV/IR radiation created by welding arc processes can lead to burns called flash burn: a sunburn-like burn to the skin and eyes that occurs from the light and heat of a welding arc. People passing by hot work, not just those performing the work, are also subjected to flash burns. It’s important to refer to the welding equipment manufacturer for the appropriate welding shade setting or proper filter plate before welding or working around welding processes. Never look at a welding arc without the proper PPE.

Filter plates should be marked to identify their shade number and have the letter H stamped into them. The H stamp indicates that the filter plate has been heat treated, is resistant to impact, and won’t shatter.

Auto-darkening welding helmets may also have features such as sensitivity and delay time. The sensitivity refers to how much arc light is needed before the helmet will darken. A high-sensitivity setting may cause the helmet to darken when someone is welding within several feet of you. A low-sensitivity setting may not darken in situations where the UV light is low or a welder is watching over another’s shoulder, like a welding instructor over their student’s shoulder. Therefore, these are typically set to the welder’s preference and situation.

Delay time refers to how long it will take until the shade returns to light after an arc has been extinguished. A fast delay will leave little to no time before the lens returns to normal, whereas a long delay may be used if the welder is surrounded by other welders and needs a moment to move out of a nearby arc before the lens returns to normal.

Attributions

1. Figure 3.1: image released under the Pexels License
2. Figure 3.2: Several types of eye protection by Stephanie Oostman, for WA Open ProfTech, © SBCTC, CC BY 4.0
3. Figure 3.3: Empiral Vision Grey goggles by Wishofflying is released under CC BY-SA 4.0
4. Figure 3.4: Face Shield with Glasses Frame by Adafruit Industries is released under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
5. Figure 3.5: New Welding Helmet by Weld House LLC is released under CC BY-ND 2.0
6. Figure 3.6: A Peek Behind the Hood by Stephanie Oostman, for WA Open ProfTech, © SBCTC, CC BY 4.0