OSHA Eye Protection Facts

Eye Protection against Radiant Energy during Welding and Cutting in Shipyard Employment

Exposure to electromagnetic energy from an arc or flame, known as radiant energy or light radiation, can harm workers' eyes. To protect against this, workers should wear personal protective equipment like safety glasses, goggles, welding helmets, or face shields equipped with appropriate filter lenses. These lenses have shade numbers indicating the level of protection, with higher numbers providing darker filters to reduce light radiation exposure.

This requirement applies to both the workers performing the task and those nearby, such as assistants or fire watchers. When wearing additional filter-lens eyewear under a welding helmet, the combined shade numbers should match the recommended levels (per 29 CFR 1915.153(a)(4) and ANSI Z49.1:2005). All eye protection must also comply with ANSI Z87.1 standards for safety.

For tasks involving flying debris, like slag or grinding fragments, eye protection must include side shields for added safety. In such cases, welding helmets should be paired with goggles or glasses with side protection.

As a rule of thumb, 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. During oxygen gas welding or cutting where the torch produces a high yellow light, it is desirable to use a filter lens that absorbs the yellow or sodium line in the visible light (spectrum) of the operation.

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