Many workers will instinctively remove their safety eyewear to see what is in front of them.

Lens fogging has always been a challenge in the industrial workforce, negatively impacting construction, machine shop, metal, law enforcement, food processing and other workers. However, mask-wearing during the pandemic has significantly multiplied this issue, as warm moist air is forced across the lens of safety eyewear. This undesirable situation ultimately leads to worker frustration, increased risks of vulnerability and injury and compliance issues.

When glasses fog, workers are caught in a Catch 22. If workers cannot see, what are they going to do? Many workers will instinctively remove their safety eyewear to see what is in front of them. This leaves their eyes unprotected and at risk of injury from airborne particulate matter, dropped objects, chemical splash and more.

Thankfully, safety professionals can minimize fogging and prevent the incidents and injuries that result from it by specifying eyewear with anti-fog coatings.

Why do lenses fog? Safety eyewear and prescription glasses fog up because of condensation, which is the process where water vapor becomes liquid. It is the opposite of evaporation, where liquid becomes a vapor. When warm air hits a cool surface, condensation can form. If the lenses of your safety glasses are cooler than the air around you, your lenses will fog up unless they have been treated with anti-fog coatings to help reduce the fogging.

Fogged lenses can result from several factors, but the five biggest culprits are:

1. Heat and humidity from our environment often cause fogging on the outside surface of the lens.

Hot and humid environments are a leading cause of lens fogging. Moisture in the air causes tiny droplets of water to collect on the outside surface of the lens—just like a glass of cold beer or water will “sweat” in the sun. Hot, humid summers, steamy boiler rooms and food processing plants are all examples of environments that can cause lens fogging.

This article originally appeared in the October 2021 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.

Is your company leveraging its safety data and analytics to maintain a safe workplace? With so much data available, where do you start? This downloadable guide will give you insight on helpful key performance indicators (KPIs) you should track for your safety program.

This guide includes details on how to conduct a thorough Job Hazard Analysis, and it's based directly on an OSHA publication for conducting JHAs. Learn how to identify potential hazards associated with each task of a job and set controls to mitigate hazard risks.

Learn from safety professionals from around the world as they share their perspectives on various “new views” of safety, including Safety Differently, Safety-II, No Safety, Human and Organizational Performance (HOP), Resilience Engineering, and more in this helpful guide.

As organizations digitalize and remote operations become more commonplace, the number of lone workers is on the rise. These employees are at increased risk for unaddressed workplace accidents or emergencies. This guide was created to help employers better understand common lone worker risks and solutions for lone worker risk mitigation and incident prevention.

Learn the keys to staying organized, staying sharp, and staying one step ahead on all things safety. This buyer’s guide is designed for you to use in your search for the safety management solution that best suits your company’s needs.

14901 Quorum Drive, Suite 425 Dallas, TX 75254 (972) 687-6700