If some of you folks recall the old Eye and Face Protection film made by Dr. Norman Quam in the 1960's (not sure of the exact date), Visor-gogs came out of the tests with a very high rating for frontal splashes.  They were very comfortable to wear and provided a great field of vision. At the time, Visor-gogs were more expensive than most safety goggles, but cheap compared to the cost of an eye injury.

 

I did my graduate work at Villanova University across the hall from Dr. Quam's lab.  His safety work was pioneering in the field.  I remember when he did safety studies on inpact protection of various materials.  The lab door was locked, a flashing red light above the door warned everyone that tests were being run, and the sound of gun shots or small explosions could be heard.  I enjoyed my conversations with Dr. Quam, he contributed to my early safety training.

 

We are all aware that our standards of eye protection has changed and we are trying to do the best for ourselves, our students and our workers.  It's true that for some experiments and activities safety glasses may suffice.  For corrosive and caustic materials, a splash goggle is necessary.  Unfortunately, in our litigious society, we must always move to the highest level of protection even when the experiments or activities don't warrant it (e.g., working with water or non-hazardous solutions).  No matter what we work with, safety must still be a state of mind at all times.

 

In my academic setting, we give the students the option of purchasing goggles or using goggles in the lab maintained for multiple users.  We provide a UV cabinet and goggles cleaning solution.  We will be moving to requiring students to purchase goggles starting in the fall, but we will still maintain some goggles in the lab for students who forget to bring their goggles.  After reviewing a number of different goggles ( a difficult process since we cannot get evaluation samples at no cost), we are considering the Uvex classic 9305 CVA Safety Goggles.  They are soft, comfortable, have a very good field of view, and seem to have good anti-fog properties.  So far, our students seem to like these better than several previous models we used.

 

Rather than spending time "discussing" Visor-gogs, share your experiences with different brands of goggles to assist others in making informed choices for their laboratories.

 

David Katz

 

 

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  David A. Katz             
  Chemist, Educator, Expert Demonstrator, Science Communicator, and Consultant  
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