When it comes to health and safety equipment at work a lot of emphases is put on protecting the hands and the eyes. Cut-proof and heat-proof gloves, as well as various forms of safety goggles, can take precedence in PPE selections, but protecting your face can be just as important. In the post covid age that we live in, face masks are everywhere, ranging from disposable ones to stylish and sturdy fabric options.
Using a face mask for dust protection and safety goggles is useful for protection from viruses, germs, and some hazards, but for comprehensive protection, you’re better off with an all-encompassing shield.
What to Look For in a Face Shield
A good face shield should not only offer you protection from the germs transferred in the particles of spit and sneezes that we come into contact with daily but also be effective for use in physical work and DIY projects. Many service employees wear plastic sheet-style face shields in modern workplaces, but when coming up against high-velocity debris these are not so effective.
Sturdiness and resistance to impact are important for a face shield if you are using it for any physically-based form of labor. When working using tools that break down and relay impact onto materials there are countless opportunities where fragments of concrete, wood, or plant matter can make their way towards your face at high speed. It’s all well and good wearing goggles to protect your eyes, but without a face shield, or a goggle face shield combo you’re leaving your face exposed to the same hazards you readily protect your eyes from.
Being anti-fog and scratch-resistant is also important for a truly effective face shield. When wearing a clear face shield and goggles throughout the working day you are going to respire, which in turn can cause clear materials to fog up compromising vision. Being fog-proof makes a face shield all the more useful in a workplace. Similarly, when a face shield is protecting you from hazards it is likely to come up against abrasive materials, so being scratch resistant is another way to assure clear vision.
Resistance to heat is especially useful if you’re likely to be in the range of hot debris in your workplace. When you’re faced with flying sparks and particles of hot metal you should be confident that your face shield can handle it without melting or deforming.
Last but not least comes comfort and breathability. When wearing a face shield regularly day in day out you shouldn’t have to deal with uncomfortable levels of pressure on your face or any shortness of breath. Being well ventilated and comfortable while still offering total protection is vital to a face shield that will be in sustained usage for the time to come.
Where to Wear Your Face Shield
There are a number of workplaces and home DIY settings where a face shield can come in handy, including:
- Hospitals / Care Facilities: Those that work in the medical profession come into close contact with germs on a daily basis, and the face is the entry point for most viruses and illnesses. Wearing a full face shield rather than a fabric mask or goggles offers more well-rounded protection from the various droplets you might face.
- Lab Facilities: Similar in principle to working in a hospital or medical facility as you are aiming to protect yourself from harmful chemicals, sprays, and droplets. But in the case of labs you can come into contact with more products that are directly harmful to skin, or corrosive when touched, so a good face shield is an essential part of your PPE package.
- Construction / Woodworking: When working on a construction site you should wear face protection as there is bound to be a lot of dust and debris flying around. The same goes for woodworking, where sawdust and splinters are in no short supply.
- Welding / Grinding: When welding and grinding you are always going to be in close quarters with sparks and little hunks of metal that can come at you at phenomenal speed. A face shield for grinding work or welding is utterly essential.
- Gardening: Whether gardening with power tools, at heights, or even at ground level, there are countless bits of dirt, bark, leaves, and thorns that can make their way towards your face. Wear a face shield to stay safe.
NOCRY’s Solution
Our PPE work solutions at NOCRY are designed to offer you the best protection possible, covering all the bases of safety, without breaking your bank. That’s why our new polycarbonate face shield is anti-scratch, anti-fog, heat resistant, highly durable, indirectly ventilated, and comfortable, working well in any of the contexts we have described.
This face shield is unique as it only works in conjunction with our NoCry NC-SG-6X3 vented safety goggles, allowing for versatile usage in the workplace. As a combination of goggles and face shield, you can alter this unit to suit the task at hand, as well as being able to remove the shield while keeping the goggles on for lunch or drinks break. With the combo you also benefit from the full protection of the goggles, including UV protection for your eyes and a comfortable fit over your prescription glasses, making for higher overall effectiveness than an all-in-one face shield.
Check out our full range of face protection options and goggles through this link to see what other solutions we can offer you, and remember, NOCRY isn’t just a name, it’s a promise.
