Construction professionals across the EU and the United Kingdom have used the EN 166:2001 standard to maintain the safety of their workers through certified protective eyewear. This standard helps to minimise eye injuries across construction sites.
After more than two decades, a new standard has emerged, EN ISO 16321-1:2022. This will come into force in November 2024. This standard includes significant changes to the requirements and testing methods for safety eyewear, including a better fit, improved mechanical strength and updated lens filters. This new standard will help to provide a higher level of protection for workers in construction and other industries.
Moving away from the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, the standard has changed from ‘small’ and ‘medium’ head forms under EN 166 to six different head forms. This means that safety eyewear will now accommodate 95% of the global population.
It will provide construction professionals with increased comfort and protection throughout a workday when wearing safety eyewear, especially in environments with a high risk of eye injury. Due to these improvements, workers should receive training across the industry to understand what is deemed a good fit to ensure maximum protection is achieved.
Impact resistance levels have been amended, introducing three new impact levels (C, D and E) with revised velocity speeds. The new standard also includes specific ‘protection zones’ known as orbital protection zone (OPZ), extended orbital protection zone (EOPZ) and face protection zone (FPZ). These zones are to ensure that the safety eyewear provides enough coverage based on the speed of potential projectiles. The higher the speed of impact, the larger the protection zone coverage needed.
Safety eyewear under impact level C (45 m/s) – must include OPZ
Safety eyewear under impact level D (80 m/s) – must include EOPZ
Safety eyewear under impact level E (120 m/s) – must include FPZ
Lens filters help to protect against several dangers of optical radiation, especially in welding and cutting operations. The majority of the protective features of the lens filters are unchanged from the previous standard. However, the EN ISO 16321-1:2022 has introduced updated markings. It includes detailed criteria for ultraviolet (UV) protective filters, sun glare filters, infrared protective filters, and welding filters. This will help construction professionals to select the correct eyewear for the task they are carrying out. Professionals should ensure that they are up to date with the new markings and what they mean.
To prepare for this new standard, you should:
To maintain safety on site and minimise the risk of eye injuries, it is imperative for construction managers and safety officers to understand the new markings and labels on safety eyewear to ensure the correct eyewear is used for specific tasks.
Employers must ensure training is provided to their employees so that they fully understand the new standard’s rules.
Be aware that existing EN 166 certificates will remain valid up until their official expiry (max. validity of 5 years). Any products with EN 166 certifications issued as late as 31st October 2024 can be sold legally by manufacturers until 31st October 2029. Therefore, it is important to be aware that both the old and new standards of safety eyewear will be available to buy for some years.
To find out more information or if you require advice on safety eyewear please get in contact with our team of experts.
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