Face shields are a necessity in lots of professions and for quite a lot of tasks within the workplace or at home. OSHA requires the use of face shields when workers are uncovered to flying objects, molten metal, liquid chemical substances, acids or caustic liquids, chemical gasses or vapors, or doubtlessly hazardous light radiation. Particular jobs requiring the usage of face shields embody metal workers, some medical employees, industrial painters and staff in chemical plants. While not all employment and tasks require a face shield, they're typically neglected and ought to be used more often.

5 Reasons To Use A Face Shield
Flying particles: Dust and other fine materials can fly into your eyes. When utilizing chainsaws, angle grinders or comparable power tools, you should always use a face shield.
Splash hazards: When dealing with acids, corrosives, chemical adherents or strippers and or with body fluids it's best to wear face shields. Typical safety eyewear doesn’t provide the mandatory liquid splash protection required for these type of hazards.
Excessive heat: When performing furnace maintenance, participating in welding or dealing with any molten substance it is best to use a face shield. Some face shields, typically employed in foundries, have particular coatings to provide further protection from excessive temperatures.
Arc Hazards: Electricians working with high voltage connections want protection from potential arc explosions, which can lead to severe burns and demise! Only specially designed face shields must be used. The Elvex ARC-Shield is an instance of a face shield specifically designed to protect towards arc flash.
High-velocity impact hazards: Safety glasses do a great job of protecting your eyes. Nevertheless, they can't protect your face. Plus, safety glasses may fail if hit by an object with sufficient mass or velocity. Face shields provide an additional degree of protection from high-mass and high-velocity impact hazards. With that being said, it’s always beneficial to wear safety eyewear underneath your face shield.

Fortunately, safety glasses stopped this broken angle-grinder disk because a face shield should have been worn.

5 Face Shield Options To Consider
Side protection on face shields provides elevated protection from lateral hazards. It’s a natural intuition to turn your face away from an object flying towards you. Nonetheless, this might expose your eyes or face to the incoming hazard. Be certain your face shield has adequate side protection, particularly for those who’re working round liquid splash or radiation hazards.
Goggle types such as the Jackson MonoShield with Goggles or Bolle Atom Shield provide another option for face protection when working in clean rooms, metal processing, foundries, mining, construction and more. These face shields mix a removable goggle with a face shield. This function provides the ability to interchange the goggle if it becomes scratched or damaged. Plus, you could find these face shields simpler to use in lab environments, because the face shield fits closer to your face.
Headgear – Face shields are typically worn with headgear or mounted to a traditional hard hat. Consider the type of environment you’ll be working in and select the appropriate headgear system. Most face shield manufacturers provide adapters for mounting their products on hard hats.
Face shields are available in removable or lift-entrance designs. Removable face shields enable for straightforward replacement while lift-front types could be lowered and raised quickly because the task requires.
Face shield materials is available in polycarbonate, Lexan or wire mesh models. Polycarbonate and Lexan protect towards impacts and are available in clear or tinted versions. Wire mesh face shields are widespread with loggers and provide protection from impacts, plus they don’t fog up. Nonetheless, wire mesh face shields should not be used for work involving chemical, liquid splash, or fine mud hazards.
Think Safety Glasses AND Face Shield
Face shields do a wonderful job of providing extra eye and face protection from quite a lot of dangers. However, you need to always wear safety glasses under your face shield because the bottom and sides of face shields typically have gaps. Liquid or particles passing through these gaps can contact your eyes, potentially causing an injury.

Ensure you take the time to judge the risks in your work space and select the appropriate eye and face protection.