If some of you folks recall the old Eye and Face Protection film
made by
Dr. Norman Quam in the 1960's (not sure of the exact date), Visor-gogs
came out
of the tests with a very high rating for frontal splashes. They
were very
comfortable to wear and provided a great field of vision. At the time,
Visor-gogs were more expensive than most safety goggles, but cheap
compared to
the cost of an eye injury.
I did my graduate work at Villanova University across the hall from
Dr.
Quam's lab. His safety work was pioneering in the field. I
remember
when he did safety studies on inpact protection of various
materials. The
lab door was locked, a flashing red light above the door warned everyone
that
tests were being run, and the sound of gun shots or small explosions
could be
heard. I enjoyed my conversations with Dr. Quam, he contributed to
my
early safety training.
We are all aware that our standards of eye protection has changed
and we
are trying to do the best for ourselves, our students and our
workers.
It's true that for some experiments and activities safety glasses may
suffice. For corrosive and caustic materials, a splash goggle is
necessary. Unfortunately, in our litigious society, we must always
move to
the highest level of protection even when the experiments or activities
don't
warrant it (e.g., working with water or non-hazardous solutions).
No
matter what we work with, safety must still be a state of mind at all
times.
In my academic setting, we give the students the option of
purchasing
goggles or using goggles in the lab maintained for multiple users.
We
provide a UV cabinet and goggles cleaning solution. We will be
moving to
requiring students to purchase goggles starting in the fall, but we will
still
maintain some goggles in the lab for students who forget to bring their
goggles. After reviewing a number of different goggles ( a
difficult
process since we cannot get evaluation samples at no cost), we are
considering
the Uvex classic 9305 CVA Safety Goggles. They are soft,
comfortable, have a very good field of view, and seem to have good
anti-fog
properties. So far, our students seem to like these better than
several
previous models we used.
Rather than spending time "discussing" Visor-gogs, share your
experiences
with different brands of goggles to assist others in making informed
choices for
their laboratories.
David Katz
____________________________________________________________________
_____
David A.
Katz
Chemist, Educator, Expert Demonstrator, Science Communicator,
and
Consultant
Programs and workshops for teachers,
schools,
museums, and the public
133 N. Desert Stream Dr. * Tucson, AZ
85745-2277 * USA
voice/fax: (520) 624-2207 * email:
dakatz45**At_Symbol_Here**msn.com
Visit my web site:
http://www.chymist.com___________
______________________________________________________________
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, November 04,
2009 10:14
AM
Subject: [DCHAS-L]
Visor-gogs
We are considering returning to use of
Visor-Gogs=AE for
chemistry lab students, as well as art studio activities. Our
reasoning
is that increased comfort will translate into increased compliance,
as
well as the idea that the less irritated the wearer=92s eyes/face are
from the
goggles, the less likely one is to reach in to rub with a potentially
chemically-contaminated finger.
Please offer feedback, or other information,
positive and
negative, on the use of Visor-Gogs=AE as PPE.
Thanks,
Barry Ferm
St. Ambrose University