STANDARDS

EN 166 - General standard

The present European Standard includes construction specifications and functional and performance requirements (optical and mechanical properties) of the various kinds of individual protectors of the eye, as well as marking requirements.

EN 169 - Welding filters

The present European Standard specifies the numbers of scale and the requirements of the transmission factor of the filters designed to protect workers involved with welding, braze welding, arc cutting and plasma jet cutting.

EN 170 - Ultraviolet filters

The present European Standard specifies the numbers of scale and the requirements of the transmission factor of the filters designed to protect against ultraviolet radiations.

EN 172 - Solar protection filters for industrial use

The present European Standard specifies the graduation numbers, the transmission factors and their related requirements of solar protection filters for industrial use.

EN ISO 16321-1 (replaces EN 166, EN 170 and EN 172) – Eye and face protection for professional use – General requirements

This European standard specifies the general requirements for eye and face protectors intended to provide protection against one or more occupational hazards, such as impacts from flying particles and fragments, optical radiation, dust, liquid splashes, molten metals, heat, flames, hot solids, harmful gases, aerosols and vapours, as well as marking requirements.

EN ISO 16321-2 (replaces EN 169) – Eye and face protection for professional use – Additional requirements for protective equipment used during welding and related techniques

This European standard specifies the additional requirements regarding materials, design, performance and marking for eye and face protectors designed to protect the eyes and face of persons against occupational hazards, such as optical radiation, impacts from flying particles and fragments, and hot solids during welding and related techniques.

STANAG 4296 - Eye protection for the individual soldier/Ballistic protection

This standard is based on STANAG 2920 and on many other military specifications to determine the criteria to be followed for military protective eyewear. Unlike STANAG 2920 which concerns any type of ballistic protection, STANAG 4296 only concerns protective eyewear.

STANAG 2920 - Ballistic test method for personal armour materials and combat clothing

This standard  includes a set of guidelines for performing ballistic tests aimed at determining the level of protection provided by personal equipment and combat uniforms.

REACH

In order to safeguard the consumers’ health, the European Union issued the REACH regulation (come into force on 1^st June 2007) which forbids the use of certain chemicals. COFRA guarantees that all its safety eyewear comply with the Reach Regulation; they do not contain forbidden or limited substances (Aromatic amines and 4-aminobenzoic acid deriving from azo dyes, heavy metals, phthalates, and so on) and, to guarantee it, all garments and accessories used during production are subjected to controls.

EAC TP TC 019/2011

Technical regulation on the safety of Personal Protective Equipment distributed in the territory of the Eurasian Customs Union.

UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed)

New product conformity marking, used for most of the products placed on the United Kingdom market now covered by regulations and directives for EC marking.

MARKING - EN 166

MARKING - EN ISO 16321-1

SCALE NUMBER - EN 166

CODE NUMBER	FILTER RATING NUMBER		TYPE OF FILTER
	from	to
2	1,2	5	Ultraviolet (UV) filters
2C 3	1,2	5	Ultraviolet (UV) filters with good colour recognition
4	1,2	10	Infra-red (IR) filters
5	1,1	4,1	Sun filter (the solar protection offered by the lens has no infra-red element)
6	1,1	4,1	Sun filter (the solar protection offered by the lens has an infra-red element)
none	1,2	16	Filters for welding

The filter code number is always followed by the filter rating number (both numbers are separated by a space), and together form the scale number.

 

SCALE NUMBER - EN ISO 16321-1

CODE LETTER	PRESCRIPTION NUMBER		FILTER TYPE
	from	to
U	1,2	5	Ultraviolet (UV) filters
UL			Ultraviolet (UV) filters with good colour recognition of signal lights
R	1,1	10	Infra-red (IR) filters
RL			Infrared (IR) filters with good colour recognition of signal lights
RR			Infrared (IR) filters (with enhanced IR reflectance)
RRL			Infrared (IR) filters (with enhanced IR reflectance) offering good colour recognition of traffic lights
G	0	4	Sun filters (without IR transmittance specifications)
GR			Sun protection filters (with IR transmittance specifications)
W	1,2	16	Filters for welding
WL			Welding filters with good colour recognition of signal lights

 

APPLICATION FIELDS - EN 166

 

SYMBOL	PROTECTION AGAINST	DESCRIPTION OF THE APPLICATION FIELDS	TYPE OF EYE PROTECTOR
			Glasses	Goggles/Masks	Face masks
none	Basic	Unspecified mechanical hazards and dangers deriving from ultraviolet, visible, infrared and solar radiations
3*	Liquids	Droplets of liquid	Not applicable		Not applicable
		Splashes of liquid	Not applicable	Not applicable
4*	Dust particles of big dimensions	Powder with particles > 5 μm	Not applicable		Not applicable
5*	Gas and particles of fine dust	Gases, vapors, sprays, fume and dust with particles < 5 μm	Not applicable		Not applicable
8**	Short circuit electric arc	Electric arc due to short-circuit in the electrical system	Not applicable	Not applicable
9***	Molten metals and hot solids	Liquid metal splashes and penetration of hot solids	Not applicable

* The symbol (s) 3, 4 and 5 must be indicated on the frame. If the frame of the eye protector is not marked with any of these symbols, then the eye protector is not intended to be suitable for protection against chemical risks.
** The symbol 8 must be indicated on the lens and on the frame to guarantee protection against electrical risks. To conform to symbol 8, a face shield must be equipped with a filter with a scale number of 2-1,2 or 3-1,2 and have a minimum thickness of 1,4 mm.
*** The symbol 9 must be indicated on the lens and on the frame to guarantee protection against thermal risks. To conform to symbol 9, both the frame and the eyepiece must be marked with this symbol together with one of the following symbols: F, B or A. 

 

APPLICATION FIELDS - EN ISO 16321-1

 

MARKING SYMBOL	USE / PROTECTION	TYPE OF EYE PROTECTOR
		Glasses	Goggle masks	Face shields
none	Basic – Protection against unspecified mechanical hazards and hazards arising from ultraviolet, visible, infrared and solar radiation
3*	Liquid droplets	Not applicable
4*	Large dust particles (> 5 µm)	Not applicable		Not applicable
5*	Gas and fine airborne particles (< 5 µm)	Not applicable		Not applicable
6*	Liquid splashes	Not applicable
7**	Radiant heat	Not applicable	Not applicable
9**	Molten metals and hot solids	Not applicable	Not applicable
CH**	Chemical resistance	Not applicable

* Symbols 3, 4, 5 and 6, where tested and applicable to the device, shall be marked on the frame only.

** Symbols 7, 9 and CH shall be marked (individually or in combination) on both the lens and the frame to ensure that the complete device provides protection against the hazards associated with these symbols.

 

OPTICAL CLASS (All COFRA lenses are optical class 1)

SYMBOL	DESIGNATION
1	On-going work
2	Intermittent work
3	Occasional work (not intended for prolonged use)

 

MECHANICAL RESISTANCE - EN 166

 

SYMBOL	IMPACTO		TIPO DI PROTETTORE DELL'OCCHIO
	Impact level	Impact speed	Glasses	Goggle/Masks	Face masks
A* AT**	High energy impact	190 m/s (684 km/h) Steel ball with a diameter of 6 mm and a mass of 0,86 g	Not applicable	Not applicable
B* BT**	Medium energy impact	120 m/s (432 km/h) Steel ball with a diameter of 6 mm and a mass of 0,86 g	Not applicable
F* FT**	Low energy impact	45 m/s (162  km/h) Steel ball with a diameter of 6 mm and a mass of 0,86 g
S	Increased resistance specification	5,1 m/s (18,36 km/h) Steel ball with a diameter of 22 mm and a mass of 43 g
none	Minimum resistance specification	NO IMPACT Resistance to a force of 100 N applied by a 22 mm diameter steel ball.

* If the symbol F, B or A is not found on both the lenses and the frame, then the lower value is assigned to the complete set of safety glasses.

** If protection is required against high speed particles at extreme temperatures (-5 °C and +55 °C), then the safety glasses should be marked with the letter T immediately following the letter indicating the impact resistance, i.e. FT, BT, AT. If the letter indicating the impact resistance is not followed by the letter T, then the safety glasses should be used only against high speed particles at room temperature.

 

 

MECHANICAL RESISTANCE - EN 16321-1

 

	IMPACT LEVEL	MARKING* (lens and frame)	IMPACT		TYPE OF EYE PROTECTOR
			Minimum zone to be protected	Impact velocity / distance	Glasses	Google masks	Face shields
Basic impact resistance (Mandatory requirement)	Basic impact level	None	EPZ Eye protection zone	1.27 m drop height Steel ball with a 25.4 mm diameter and 66.8 g mass
HIGH-VELOCITY IMPACT RESISTANCE (Optional requirement)	C Impact level	C CT**	OPZ Orbital protection zone	45 m/s (162 km/h) Steel ball with a 6 mm diameter and a 0.86 g mass
	D Impact level	D DT**	EOPZ Extended orbital protection zone	80 m/s (288 km/h) Steel ball with a 6 mm diameter and a 0.86 g weight	Not applicable
	E Impact level	E ET**	FPZ Facial protection zone	120 m/s (432 km/h) Steel ball with a 6 mm diameter and a 0.86 g mass	Not applicable	Not applicable
HIGH-MASS IMPACT RESISTANCE (Optional requirement)	HM impact level (high mass at moderate velocity)	HM HMT**	-	1.27 m drop height Pointed steel projectile with a 25.4 diameter and a 500 g mass

*  If the impact level symbols (C, D, E, HM) are not common to both the lenses and the frame, the complete eye protector shall be assigned the lower impact level.

** Where protection against high-speed particles at temperature extremes (-5°C and +55°C) is required, the eye protector shall be marked with the letter T immediately following the impact resistance symbol, i.e. CT, DT, ET or HMT. If the impact resistance symbol is not followed by the letter T, the eye protector shall be used only for protection against high-speed particles at ambient temperature.

 

ADDITIONAL OPTIONAL REQUIREMENTS

 

SYMBOL	DESIGNATION
K	Resistance of the eyepieces to surface damage caused by fine particles
N	Resistance to fogging of the eyepieces