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Posted By Bob Baynes
Hi, can anyone help me out? I'm up against a budget deadline, and due to staff absence need to specify eye protection for use in an engineering training workshop. The machines are a mixture of mainly lathes and milling machines, some drilling machines and grinders, both precision and offhand. I know its EN166 but am unsure of the level of impact protection required, medium or high. All the machines are guarded of course, and the PPE is being used only as the last line of defence.
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Posted By Bob Baynes
I'm running out of time and need to solve this one. I know this is a solveable problem, just short of time to do so. Can't lay my hands on a copy of EN 166 which would probably sort it. Looking at other unanswered threads they were largely, though not entirely, the more obscure questions. Perhaps I have not given sufficient detail to enable a reply to be made. Accordingly, I will try to amplify my problem. This used to be covered by BS 2092 which offered two levels of impact protection, we opted for the higher level. I know that the EN lays down four levels of impact protection which is where the problem is. It appears the medium impact protection equates approximately to the higher level we used under BS 2092. The complicating factor is that not only is this a training situation, but that we are largely training 16 -18 year olds to whom we owe a higher duty of care than to trained, or even untrained adults. If the high impact grade offers more protection, then we should supply it but if the medium grade is adequate then we cannot afford to waste money, our budget is tight. What I need to know is, is the medium impact grade of EN166 adequate for the machining operations I outlined in my original query?
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Posted By Jane Blunt
Dear Bob
I don't have a definitive answer, but some comments.
There are four grades in BS EN 166:
increased robustness 'S' tested by a 22 mm ball at 5.1 m/s
low energy impact 'F' tested by a 6 mm ball at 45 m/s
medium energy impact 'B' tested by a 6 mm ball at 120 m/s
high energy impact 'A' tested by a 6 mm ball at 190 m/s.
Looking in my PPE catalogue, most spectacles are 'F'. Higher grades are available as face shields. The 'B' and 'A' grades appear to correspond to the old BS 2092 grades 2 and 1 respectively.
Choosing what to wear is a matter of assessing the likely impact. For grinding the risk is quite high, so 'B' is the minimum grade recommended, but I would have thought machining, drilling and milling had a relatively low impact risk (once the trainees have learnt not to leave the chuck key in! :o) )
Why not talk to a reputable supplier?
Jane
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Posted By Bob Baynes
Jane, thanks for the info. Though I knew the figures, I had no information on the projectile used. I have talked to one supplier who was very non-commital and unwilling to recommend a particular grade. Guess who won't be getting the order? I know what you mean about chuck keys but have managed to largely eliminate that risk by using keyless chucks in the drilling machines and interlocked guards on the lathes which cannot shut with the key in. The milling machines have table edge, interlocked guards. Now, if I can just manage to persuade them to fasten the work down securely every time...
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Posted By Dave Daniel
In the "old" days before the Eye Protection Regs 1974, the foundry fettlers at Beans Foundry (Part of BL/Rover) used to use toughened glass goggles. Most other people in the Company wore light acetate specs. As far as I could determine, Beans had one case of a lens being cracked by a chipping from a fettling grinder with no damage to the wearer. They had 2,000 workers on site (not all fettling).
All of the subsequent standards for "impact protection" have been devised on the basis of what impact the material will stand, NOT the likelihood of an impact occurring in the real world. Some impact levels mean that if a particle comes at you, you ought to dodge to catch it on your specs 'cos if it hits your unprotected face you would be seriously injured.
The best ppe is that which is worn. In 30 years I have never seen any form of eye protection breached by any impact, although in a few cases sparks etc. "bounce" into the spec from the side.
I would suggest that the actual grade of impact is not particulary relevant, especially with small low velocity particles such as in a machine shop.
Dave Daniel
Technical Director
Practical Risk Management Ltd
Ex Group Safety Adviser - Rover Group
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