Safety is an important aspect of any workplace, and EN 166: Safety Goggles Standard is a European Standard that helps to ensure the safe use of protective equipment in industrial settings. It sets out requirements for eye and face protection, including the design and performance of safety goggles.
This standard covers various situations and challenges, such as environmental hazards, air contaminants, etc. This blog post will explore EN 166: Safety Goggles Standard, its requirements for safety goggles, and how it can provide a safe environment for your workers.
What is the EN166 standard?
The EN166 standard is a European safety standard for eye protection. It’s an important safety standard for anyone exposed to hazardous elements such as dust, chemicals, or flying objects. It helps protect your eyes from potential damage and injury.
The EN166 standard applies to all types of eye protection, including safety glasses, goggles, face shields, and other forms of protection. It includes requirements for the materials used, the design, and the performance of the eye protection.
The EN166 standard is split into two parts. The first part is the general requirements section and applies to all safety eyewear. This section covers the requirements for design, materials, and manufacturing processes. The second part is the performance requirements section and applies to specific types of eye protection such as sunglasses, occupational eyewear, and sports eyewear.
Basic requirements of EN 166 safety goggles
EN 166 safety goggles are protective eyewear that protects from physical and chemical hazards. They are an essential part of any workplace safety program, helping to protect employees’ eyes from debris, dust, and other hazardous materials they may come into contact with while on the job. To ensure that this protective eyewear meets the necessary standards for safety, EN 166 establishes certain basic requirements that all EN 166 certified goggles must meet.
First, all EN 166 safety goggles must be designed in such a way as to provide complete coverage of the eye area. This includes the sides and back of the eyes, as well as providing a snug fit around the forehead, nose bridge, and temples. The lenses must also offer adequate protection from impacts and chemical splashes through their resistance to penetration from specified airborne particles or liquids. Additionally, they must feature one-way vents to reduce fogging up of the lenses during use.
Regarding impact resistance, EN 166 requires that all goggles be tested against a standardized test object at speeds greater than 120 m/s (394 ft/s). The lenses should be able to resist fracture under this force without compromising vision quality or other features such as airtightness or optical clarity. Furthermore, all EN 166 certified goggles must pass stringent tests regarding electrical insulation properties when exposed to AC voltages up to 4KV.
Finally, all EN 166 approved products should have a visible mark displaying their certification number on them; this allows workers and employers alike to easily identify whether or not a given pair of safety goggles meet all necessary standards for use in potentially hazardous environments.
What are the markings of EN166 on safety glasses?
EN 166 eyewear marking combines a numerical value and a letter code. The numerical value indicates the type of protection that the eyewear provides. The letter code stands for the class of protection, which indicates the degree of protection offered by safety goggles. The EN 166 standard requires that the eyewear be marked with the following information:
• Manufacturer’s name and address
• Model Number
• EN 166 designator
• Frame type
• Lens type and color
• Lens material
• Visual activity field
• Lens marking
• CE marking
• Date of manufacture
• Date of last revision
The manufacturer’s name and address will be placed on the eyewear frame, usually near the temple area. The model number and EN 166 designator are usually found inside the frame. The frame type and lens type will be marked outside the frame. The lens color and material will be marked on the lens. The visual activity field and lens marking will be marked on the lens.
The CE marking will signify that the eyewear meets the European Union directives, and the date of manufacture and last revision will be marked on the frame.
Different types of EN 166
Eye protection is essential for workers who are exposed to hazardous environments. Different safety glasses standards are available, each designed to protect against specific hazards. The most common safety glasses standards are EN 166:S, EN 166:F, and EN 166:B.
EN.166S (Safety glasses): These glasses have the highest level of protection and are designed to withstand the impact of a 22 mm steel ball weighing 43 grams dropped from 1.3 meters at a speed of 18 km per hour. The lens must remain in the frame and is not to shatter, while the frame must remain intact as well.
EN.166F (Safety glasses): These glasses offer a slightly lower level of protection and are designed to withstand the impact of a 6 mm steel ball weighing 0.86 g fired at 162 km per hour.
EN.166B (Safety glasses): These glasses offer the lowest level of protection and are designed to withstand the impact of a 6 mm steel ball weighing 0.86 g fired at 432 km per hour. The lens must remain in the frame and not shatter, while the frame must also remain intact.
Safety googles other related safety standards
EN ISO 4007:2018 provides specifications on E-type eye protectors that form part of a range of general requirements.
EN 167:2001 outlines general requirements for all types of eyewear, including welding masks and face shields.
EN 168:2001 sets out specific criteria that must be met by eye protectors designed against UV radiation, commonly found in welding applications.
EN 169:2002 details requirements related to eye protectors designed specifically for gas welding or cutting operations where infrared radiation is present.
EN 170:2002 covers basic requirements applicable to all eye protections, including those concerning construction materials used in manufacturing and carrying straps.
EN 171:2002 was designed to regulate the general requirements for protective glasses and goggles, which must be met before a product can be sold on the market.
EN 172:1995 applies specifically to protectors for non-prescription use, such as those used in welding and grinding operations, among others.
EN 175:1997 is the standard used for prescription lenses which specify testing procedures related particularly to mechanical strength and protection provided by the frames as well as any corrective lenses fitted within them.
EN 379:2003+A1:2009 sets out strict requirements regarding how gas welders’ goggles must perform under various conditions.
EN 1731:2006 deals with laser protective eyewear, which requires special filters designed especially for dealing with high energy light beams emitted from lasers during manufacturing processes.
EN166 vs. ANSI Z87.1
Two of the most popular standards for safety eyewear are EN166 and ANSI Z87.1. While both sets of standards provide adequate protection, there are some subtle differences between them that buyers should be aware of before making a purchase decision.
EN166 is an international standard by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) that mandates specific performance criteria for personal eye protection equipment used in industrial applications. It requires safety glasses to meet certain requirements, such as impact resistance, UV filtering, and visual clarity. Furthermore, it outlines testing methods to ensure eyewear meets these quality standards.
ANSI Z87.1 is a US-based standard established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). This standard also sets minimum requirements for protective eyewear and specifies tests to determine if these requirements have been met. However, it takes a slightly different approach than EN166 when addressing impact resistance levels, lenses with anti-fog coating, and chemical protection standards.
Fore more ANSI Z87 standard information, read more on: https://www.anbusafety.com/ansi-z87-1-safety-glasses-standards/
Conclusion
The EN 166: Safety Goggles Standard is an essential set of standards and regulations for ensuring the safety and protection of workers who use safety goggles in the workplace. Protecting workers’ eyes and ensuring their safety against harmful objects and hazardous materials is essential. By following EN 166: Safety Goggles Standard, employers can ensure that their workforce works in a safe and secure environment.
English 
Spanish 