Which is better propionate or polycarbonate face shield?

Face shields are transparent screens designed to protect a worker&#;s entire face and neck from flying objects, chemical splashes, and other eye and face hazards. They are usually worn in conjunction with masks and respirators and they come in a variety of materials, shapes, shades, and tints, to suit different applications. This article aims to ease your decision of selecting the right face shield, by examining ten key product features.

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But first, when is a face shield required?

OSHA recommends conducting a worksite hazard assessment before selecting a face shield or any other PPE. Eye and face PPE is recommended when engineering solutions are not practical and workers are exposed to hazards such as flying objects, molten metal, liquid chemicals, acids or caustic liquids, chemical gases, vapors, or UV radiation.

Woodworking, welding, drilling, and environments with fluid exposure &#; all these jobs pose chemical, respiratory, and impact risks that require face protection.

1.       Visor lens material

Typically, face shield visors are built of durable materials such as polycarbonate, propionate, acetate, polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG), steel or nylon mesh. It&#;s important to choose the most suitable material for your application. While steel or nylon mesh provides good airflow and protect from impact with larger objects such as wood debris, they don&#;t protect from dust and vapors, for instance.

Of all the materials, polycarbonate provides the best impact and heat resistance. It protects against chemical splash and holds up well in extremely cold temperatures.

Visual strain can impact worker productivity, so the lens should provide excellent visibility, too. Acetate is a material known to provide superior clarity and scratch resistance. It also offers chemical splash protection and impact protection. If you are looking for superior impact protection, however, propionate is stronger than acetate.

A face shield made of polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) tends to be the most economical option.

There are also specialty lenses:

-          arc lenses that protect workers against arc flash.

-          UV filter lenses to protect from UV radiation.  Shaded welding face shields provide protection from UV and IR radiation generated when working with molten metal. The shades usually range from Shade 2 to14, with Shade 14 being the darkest shade.

2.       Comfort & fit

Lightweight construction ensures workers don&#;t experience fatigue during long working hours.

A face shield should also fit snugly and the headgear plays a key role in achieving a proper fit. It is usually adjustable via a flexible headband for the circumference and a top band for depth. Depth plays an important role in the overall stability of the facepiece.

Honeywell&#;s Uvex Bionic Face Shield offers 2,784 possible adjustment positions and has a ratcheting mechanism to lock the headgear into place.

&#;I like the inclusion of the tough and strong clear polycarbonate visor, too&#;, this online review reads. &#;It is because I instantly discovered how it offers the best protection from chemical splashes and flying debris in your work area. I am also pleased with the anti-fog hard coating used in this shield because this promotes clarity of vision.&#;

Our face is one of the most vulnerable regions of the human body. Anything that does damage to the face can easily damage our eyes, mouth, nose, and other sensitive areas. That said, when working with chemicals or performing potentially hazardous tasks, it is a necessity to strap on a face shield.

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Now it&#;s not just about using A faceshield but using the RIGHT ONE for the job. Having the wrong face shield can aggravate things or worse, even be the cause of the injury itself.

There are multiple options we have to consider when picking a faceshield for a task. Let&#;s start with the basics, mainly the different the US (ANSI) and European (EN) standards.

Impact resistance:

ANSI or the American National Standards Institute requires each face shield be marked with the manufacturer&#;s identity and all components pass &#; and consequently be marked &#; Z87 or Z87+ (more on this in a bit.) Its resistances and functionality must be on the shield as well.

While the other markings are self-explanatory, Z87 and Z87+ might sound a little alien. Well, let&#;s shed some light on this. Both standards are listed in the ANSI Z87.1 section and are pretty straightforward.

• Mark Z87 is a basic impact face shield. This means it should be capable of resisting impact from a 1 in. (25.4mm) diameter steel ball dropped from a height of 50 inches.
• Mark Z87+ on the other hand is a high impact face shield that can resist impact from a .25 inch (6.35mm) diameter steel ball traveling at a velocity of 300 feet per second (91.4 m/s).

The European standard (EN 166), on the other hand, requires face shields to withstand impact from a 6mm diameter steel ball at various speeds.  Here&#;s a quick summary of the different classifications.

• Mark A: 190 m/s.
• Mark B: 120 m/s.
• Mark F: 45 m/s.

The second thing we must consider is lens quality. Aside from the fact that bad lenses will cause eye strain, any protective device that prevents the user from seeing clearly will find itself worn incorrectly or even worse, mothballed.

ANSI has some standards regarding lens quality as mentioned in the Z87.1- standard. Under the optical requirements set, the lenses of the protectors must:

• Be free of visible defects
• Have a luminous transmittance level > 85 percent (if the lens is clear)
• Not exhibit >3 percent haze
• Be within acceptable tolerance levels for refractive power, astigmatism, resolving power, prism and prism imbalance

Materials:

Now, let&#;s look at the different materials available for faceshields. Each one has its own advantages and disadvantages as we will be discussing:

• Polycarbonate (PC) provides good impact and heat resistance. It&#;s not very chemical resistant, although some PC faceshields provide resistance to chemicals depending on thickness and coatings. UV filter additives can also be added to provide UV protection. These variants often have a &#;U&#; in the markings, with U6 being the highest protection available.
• Propionate (PROP) is ideal for protection against chemical splashes. Generally though, most PROP faceshields do not meet impact requirement but there are a few of them out there that are thick enough to make the Z87+ requirements.
• Mesh is another common material used for faceshields and is often used when a lot of ventilation is needed such as in humid areas. Generally, mesh faceshields do not provide impact, chemical, or UV protection.
• Acetate facemasks are often scratch and chemical resistant but often slightly sacrificing visibility. These faceshields generally are not very impact resistant (though there are a few exceptions). Expect these masks to cost more than the average mask since Acetate is pretty expensive.
• PETG offers excellent chemical splash protection. While relatively plentiful, optically correct PETG are hard to come by. This makes it pretty rough on the eyes after some use. Faceshields made from this material generally do not pass impact requirements.

Lens options:

Now that we&#;ve discussed the base materials there are a variety of lens options:

• Clear lens: Provides the best visibility for both normal and low-light conditions
• Tinted lens: Used for preventing eye strain caused by excessive glare. More details on this can be found in the ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-.
• Shade IR: Protects the eyes from IR light, a common feature on masks used for gas soldering, light cutting, brazing, and metal pouring.
• Arc Lens: Protects against low-level arc flashes. These items protect users from electromagnetic energy, tiny fragments, and molten metal released during an electric arc. Be sure to pair this with other PPE equipment to ensure that your workers are completely protected.
• UV Filter: Protects the eyes and face from UV radiation found to cause cataracts, skin cancer and other terrible conditions that we all would like avoid.

Coatings:

• Anti-fog: As the name suggests, it prevents fogging due to water vapor. While there are no ANSI/ISEA tests for it, EN standards have dictated a standardized test which means you might want pick something up that has undergone that test.
• Anti-Scratch: Same for the above, ANSI and ISEA has yet to develop standardized testing for this. The European counterpart, EN, does have a standard in place though so keep this in mind when choosing one.
• Reflective: Mirrored coatings which reflect and dissipate radiant heat. Useful when working in hot environments. Expect to pay a premium when picking up a faceshield with this option.

So many different lenses, so little time!

As you can tell there are a huge number of possible variations on faceshields. While we wish we could say which one is the best one (to make choosing easier for you), it really depends on the environment and circumstance the face shield will be used for. As always, be sure to do your research through articles such as these to make an informed decision as to what faceshield you will be providing your workers. So until the next article, stay safe and keep checking back for more news and info here at the Seton.com Safety Blog.

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