Saturday, May 29, 2010

Shocking: Are Safety Glasses Useless?

Wanted to do a video today about how important it is to wear safety glasses. So I bought a styrofoam head (for wigs) and simulated a broken off fork arm. I used a raw egg to simulate the eye, which is a very vulnerable organ so the egg shell is probably more sturdy, but anyway.

I used one string of Thera Tube and attached a pen to it, the pen simulates the fork arm. Of course it smashed the unprotected egg. But here comes the problem: It smashed the egg that was behind the safety glasses as well!

I recorded everything in super slo mo (1200 frames per second), and you can clearly see that the glasses yielded and smashed the egg.

I think it is time to reconsider the safety glasses type. We need solid goggles that have a large distance to the eye, and also that wrap around your head.

Here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrBpXPORRlo

Now some people will say that I am the sole cause for a slingshot ban. But people need to know the dangers. Proper eyeware is needed.

1 comment:

  1. Hey, I just started reading this blog, so I wish I could have gotten this through sooner:

    Most safety glasses are designed primarily for power tool users, a fragment may be thrown away by a mill, late of electrical drill and damage your eye. These fragments are tiny and flimsy, and though travelling at high speed, carry little energy. Normal safety glasses are good enough.

    Obviously, they won't do any good against a heavy projectile. You need something that's rated for impact and (preferably) off-set from your eyes as to not bruise your eye socket.

    I'm a huge fan of the uvex 9302. Comfy, fully adjustable, great vision angle and full seal (I also wear mine in biochemistry labs, so that might not a priority for you)

    I did not do some comprehensive "which is best" test, these goggles were simply available to me, and they worked fine for my purposes.

    I've got plenty of goggles for in the machine shop or the normal chemical wetlab, but every task has its appropriate tools, and every hazard has its appropriate level of protection.

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