Safety eyewear trial request programme

What’s the best way to evaluate the performance of your safety eyewear? That’s easy – a product trial. It’s the process of field-testing different models of eyewear, either from a single source or from several manufacturers, in order to identify the best spectacle or goggle for a particular job - looking at things like types of hazards, lens coatings and sizing specific to your workers.

What are the benefits of trialling safety eyewear?

Reduced accident rates

Reduced accident rates, downtime and medical costs

Increased employee motivation

Increased employee motivation and wearer acceptance

Improved risk awareness

Improved risk awareness and increased transparency


Our eyesight is precious and demands the selection and provision of high-quality safety eyewear which not only ‘protects’ but which enhances wearer compliance due to excellent comfort and fit features.

Employers have a duty of care to ensure that workers are provided with appropriate PPE wherever the risk assessment defines that as necessary. There are several areas for consideration when selecting eyewear suitable for your workforce.

One size does not fit all

Head and facial shapes all differ requiring a range of eyewear from which employees can select. Involvement in this process not only ensures a proper fit, crucial for the wearer’s safety, it also increases the likelihood that eyewear stays worn throughout the working day.

Lens coatings

Due to the way that safety glasses or goggles should fit, close to the head keeping dirt and debris out, it can cause moisture build up, especially if the wearer is doing a physical job which can result in the lens fogging. How you choose which coating you need depends on the environment and the application being performed. Some coatings offer anti-fog performance on the inside, where it is most needed, and a scratch-resistant hard coat on the exterior of the lens. Others are anti-fog and scratch resistant on both sides making them suitable for environments with high humidity.

However, not all anti-fog coatings are created equal. The tests conducted for the coating performance are optional tests for manufacturers, requiring the anti-fog coating to perform for a minimum of 8 seconds on first use. Where many coatings fail is in the longevity of the anti-fog performance.

Traditional hydrophobic anti-fog coatings are soap-based, washing off after a handful of cleans, making the eyewear ineffective and unusable. As soon as lens coating performance diminishes, employees try to compensate and compliance drops rendering the eyewear useless. Therefore, it is important to look out for manufacturers of permanent hydrophilic coatings that have been bonded onto the lens and last the life of the eyewear.

Lens material and tints

Lens optical quality reduces eye strain, fatigue and headaches (optical class 1). Lenses with excellent optical quality are free of aberrations and imperfections – allowing the wearer to see using as close to natural vision as possible. Low-quality safety eyewear can result in poor optical clarity, one of the biggest factors in eye fatigue due to tiny distortions in the lens.

Polycarbonate lenses filter UV ensuring that most safety eyewear meets the EN166/EN170 standard which specifies UV protection up to 380 nm, however, the WHO (World Health Organisation) and latest scientific studies state that this level of protection is insufficient and recommend the higher 400nm protection level.

The type of environment in which the work is undertaken should influence the lens shade(s) selected. For example, are employees working indoors under harsh, bright lights? Are people frequently moving between indoors and outdoors, between light and shaded areas or are they working outside in the sunshine where the intensity of the sun can be a hazard in itself? The selection of lens tint that is right for the environment together with the highest quality of lens engineering and performance all positively affects compliance.

Compatibility

Eyewear should deliver a low-pressure, lightweight fit with even weight distribution. Injection-moulded hard and soft components around the brow, nose and on side arms not only increases comfort but ensures eyewear stays put. Adaptable features such as lens inclination and extendable side arms allow wearers to achieve the ultimate close fit (to keep hazards out) and find a position that means they can work comfortably, confidently and with as little distraction as possible.

What can you expect during the trial process?

We're ready to roll up our sleeves and do the heavy lifting alongside you to help solve your safety problems.

PPE trial with uvex step 1

First, we'll learn about the unique safety challenges you face in your industry.

PPE trial with uvex step 2

Once we understand what you need and how we can help, we'll make recommendations from our wide selection of PPE.

PPE trial with uvex step 3

Next, we'll work together to run a trial at your jobsite with recommended products to see if they're the right fit for you.

PPE trial with uvex step 4

Finally, once we've found your uvex solution, we'll help you with the next steps of getting product in hand to implement with your team.

Does your company...

✔ have a dedicated contact for our uvex specialist to work with to collect feedback during the trial?
✔ commit to providing feedback (positive or negative) during and after the trial?

Sound like a match? Great! Let’s get a trial going. Simply fill out our quick form and we will be in touch with you shortly:

We collect, store and use your data solely to process your request. For more information, please see our data privacy statement.

* Please fill in the fields marked with an asterisk. The data is only used for answering your inquiry.

uvex can help

Our team are available to answer any questions you have about the correct selection of safety eyewear. We can conduct product trials and site audits virtually to suit the needs of your business. Simply call, email or video chat your uvex specialist who can recommend and implement high performance PPE solutions specifically chosen for your company's needs.

Eyewear solutions


Application recommendations

Depending on your task, several factors come into play: you need the right eyewear model, suitable lens material as well as matching lens tinting and coating.

uvex lens tinting advisor

We offer lens tinting solutions for every light environment. Our new digital lens tinting advisor helps you find the perfect tinting for your application.

CBR65 - Relaxed, comfort, vision

Properly tinted safety eyewear lenses can have a dramatic effect on the quality of the wearers vision, enhancing comfort, clarity and productivity. uvex's CBR65 tint has been developed to protect wearers working both indoors or outdoors.