The Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 2002

Non-ionising radiation

3.9.1.  PPE designed to prevent acute or chronic eye-damage from sources of non-ionising radiation must be capable of absorbing or reflecting the majority of the energy radiated in the harmful wavelengths without unduly affecting the transmission of the innocuous part of the visible spectrum, the perception of contrasts and the ability to distinguish colours where required by the foreseeable conditions of use.

• To this end, protective glasses must be so designed and manufactured as to possess, for each harmful wave, a spectral transmission factor such that the radiant-energy illumination density capable of reaching the user’s eye through the filter is minimised and, under no circumstances, exceeds the maximum permissible exposure value.

• Furthermore, the glasses must not deteriorate or lose their properties as a result of the effects of radiation emitted under the foreseeable conditions of use and all marketed specimens must bear the protection-factor number corresponding to the spectral distribution curve of their transmission factor.

• Glasses suitable for radiation sources of the same type must be classified in the ascending order of their protection factors and the manufacturer’s notes must indicate, in particular, the transmission curves which make it possible to select the most appropriate PPE bearing in mind such inherent factors of the effective conditions of use as distance to source and the spectral distribution of the energy radiated at that distance.

• The relevant protection-factor number must be marked on all specimens of filtering glasses by the manufacturer.