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Toolbox talk · 10 min · PPE

Eye and Face Protection

Hazards: Flying particles from grinding, cutting, chipping and nailing · Liquid chemicals, acids and caustics splashing the face · Molten metal and hot slag · Injurious light radiation from welding, cutting and brazing

Why it matters

Eye and Face Protection in construction, 29 CFR 1926.102, was the ninth most cited OSHA standard in fiscal year 2025 — and it was ninth in fiscal year 2024 too. Two years running, inspectors keep finding the same thing: people cutting, grinding, chipping and nailing with nothing in front of their eyes. And it is not only dust. In an OSHA accident report from July 24, 2022 (Summary Nr 154257.015), a roofing worker was reassembling a pneumatic nail gun; when it was connected to the air line the gun discharged, a part flew off and struck him in the eye, and he died.

Key points

  • Side protection where things fly. 1926.102(a)(2): eye protection that provides side protection whenever there is a hazard from flying objects. Clip-on or slide-on side shields count.
  • Look for the marking. Protectors must be built to ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 and be distinctly marked so the maker can be identified — 1926.102(a)(4) and (b)(1). Unmarked lenses are not PPE.
  • Prescription lenses need a plan. 1926.102(a)(3): prescription built into the protector, or a protector worn over your glasses without moving them. Not your street frames.
  • Shield over glasses, never instead of. A face shield is a secondary protector: it guards the face, it does not seal the eyes. Grinding and chipping get both.
  • Splash means goggles. Liquid chemicals, acids and caustics are listed hazards in 1926.102(a)(1). Open-vent safety glasses do not stop a splash coming from below.
  • Right shade for the arc, and for the helper. Table E-1 of 1926.102(c)(1) sets minimum welding shades. Anyone tacking, fitting or watching inside the flash needs protection too.
  • Scratched, pitted or fogged gear gets swapped. Under 1926.102(a)(5), protectors have to be reasonably comfortable, fit snugly and not interfere with movement. Glasses you cannot see through end up on your brim.

Do / Don't

Do

  • Check lenses for cracks and pitting before the first cut.
  • Wear glasses under the shield for every grind.
  • Say something when you are standing downrange of somebody's work.

Don't

  • Push glasses onto your hard hat brim "for one cut."
  • Rub an eye with a dirty glove after chipping.
  • Work on a pressurized or connected tool with your face over it.

Quick site check

  • Everyone in the circle: Z87 marking on the lenses you are wearing right now?
  • Any cracked, pitted or badly fogged pairs to swap before we start?
  • Which tasks today need a shield or goggles on top, and do we have them on the truck?
Discussion — ask the crew
  1. Which task on this job throws the most material at face level, and who is standing downrange of it?
  2. Whose glasses fog up or scratch so badly that they end up on the hard hat brim by 9 a.m.?
  3. Who here wears prescription glasses, and what are they wearing over or instead of them today?
  4. When we grind or cut, who puts a face shield on, and does the shield ever come out without safety glasses under it?
  5. Where do we get a replacement pair today if a lens cracks in the first hour?
Refs: 29 CFR 1926.102 — Eye and face protection (construction): general requirements, side protection, prescription lenses, Table E-1 welding filter shades · 29 CFR 1910.133 — Eye and face protection (general industry), including the filter lens shade table · 29 CFR 1926.95 — Criteria for personal protective equipment: design, fit and employer payment · OSHA — Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards, FY 2025 and FY 2024 (Eye and Face Protection, construction, ranked ninth in both years) · OSHA Accident Search — Accident Summary Nr 154257.015, event date 07/24/2022Sign-in sheet included in the printed version

Frequently asked questions

Where there is a hazard from flying objects, yes. 29 CFR 1926.102(a)(2) and 1910.133(a)(2) both require eye protection that provides side protection, and both say detachable clip-on or slide-on side shields meeting the rest of the section are acceptable.

It identifies the consensus standard the protector was built to. 1926.102(b)(1) and 1910.133(b)(1) accept ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2010, ANSI Z87.1-2003 or ANSI Z87.1-1989 (R-1998). Paragraph (a)(4) of each section separately requires eye and face PPE to be distinctly marked so the manufacturer can be identified. No marking, no way to show what it is.

No. Under 1926.102(a)(3) and 1910.133(a)(3), a worker who wears prescription lenses in an operation with eye hazards wears protection with the prescription built into the design, or protection worn over the prescription lenses without disturbing their position. Street glasses are not eye protection.

Treat it as a secondary protector over primary eye protection. A shield covers the face but leaves gaps around the sides and bottom, and it can be lifted or knocked up. The practical rule crews use is glasses or goggles always, shield on top when the task throws material at the face.

It depends on the process and the current or plate thickness. Table E-1 of 1926.102(c)(1) is the construction guide, and 1910.133(a)(5) carries the general industry table. Both allow a darker shade than listed. The rule of thumb printed under the general industry table is to start with a shade too dark to see the weld zone, then step lighter until you can see it, without going below the minimum.

The employer, under 1926.95(d)(1) and 1910.132(h)(1), including replacements when gear wears out or breaks in service. The one narrow exception is non-specialty prescription safety eyewear the employer allows the worker to wear off the job site.

Sources & references

Content checked against these sources — last reviewed August 28, 2026.

Results are estimates for planning purposes and do not replace a competent person's evaluation or an engineer's design. Follow the OSHA standards that apply to your work and your employer's written program.

By — Editorial team of SteelToeTools.com (published by LSEA SAS) Updated