Indirect vs. Direct Ventilation Safety Goggles – When To Use Each

Indirect vs.Direct Ventilation Safety Goggles

Safety Goggles come in many shapes and sizes. In fact, safety goggles are only one variety of Safety Eyewear. Today, there is such a wide variety of safety goggles available it can be tough to decide which ones are right for you. One of the driving factors taken into consideration is the type of ventilation. Safety goggles are designed to seal around your eyes and provide splash protection, but these non-vented goggles tend to fog up making it more difficult to see. So what type of goggles do you need?

Indirect Ventilation Goggles

What Are Indirect Vented Safety Goggles?

Safety goggles with indirect ventilation have a venting system that does not allow for direct contact of particles to the interior of the goggles. This is achieved by adding angled vents which face away from the front lens that the wearer looks through.
The vents on indirect vented goggles are normally adjustable so they can be turned to fit the user’s needs. Indirectly vented safety goggles are the ideal choice for dealing with chemicals where chance of splash is possible. Due to their reverse facing vents, it will be significantly harder for the material to reach the wearer’s eyes during use. One of the only cons of indirectly vented safety goggles is that due to the angle that air must flow through to reach the eyes, these goggles are not as well ventilated as direct vent safety goggles.

indirect vent

Benefits of Indirect Vent Safety Goggles:

Angled vents to protect eyes from splashes and particles
Made of malleable rubber to absorb impacts
Venting system prevents glasses from fogging over

A Good Pair Of Indirectly Vented Safety Goggles Will Also Have The Following Qualities:

Adjustable elastic strap
Fits over glasses
Scratch resistant lens

Direct Ventilation Goggles

What Are Direct Vented Safety Goggles?

Safety goggles with direct ventilation are goggles that have ventilation holes directly through the frame of the goggles to the inside environment. These ventilation holes are generally very small and placed around the top and/or sides of the goggles. They are excellent for professional and general purpose DIY-ers applications to prevent flying particles from reaching the eyes.
Direct vented goggles are great when there is a large amount of fine debris floating around in the air of the work area. Sure, a pair of safety glasses will protect your eyes from larger debris, but safety goggles add the benefit of forming to your face around the eyes which creates a better seal. So, unless the debris is to come through the very small ventilation holes, the internal environment is safer than when using safety glasses instead of goggles. Direct vent safety goggles are a great choice unless working with chemicals, liquids or extremely fine particle materials.

direct vent holes

Benefits of Direct Vent Safety Goggles

Perforated vents to provide smooth airflow while working
Made of malleable rubber to absorb impacts
Venting system prevents glasses from fogging over

A Good Pair Of Directly Vented Safety Goggles Will Also Have The Following Qualities:

Adjustable elastic strap
Fits over glasses
Scratch resistant lens

Which Should You Choose?

To make this decision easier look at the chart below. Which pair of goggles fit your needs?

Indirect Vent	Direct Vent
Indirect Air Flow Works With: Dry Particle and Liquid Chemical Materials* Durable Impact Absorbing Material Scratch Resistant Lens	Direct Air Flow Works With: Dry Large Particle Materials Durable Impact Absorbing Material Scratch Resistant Lens

*Indirect Safety Goggles are a great choice for most liquid applications. However, dealing with large amounts of reactive chemicals may still have potential to cause damage by getting into the indirect vents. Always make sure safety goggles are compliant with the standards of the work environment.

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Flame Resistant vs Flame Retardant – What’s Better?

Flame Resistant vs Flame Retardant

Anyone that has ever been burnt will tell you to respect heat. Burns are one of the worst types of injuries. They don’t heal quickly, can be incredibly painful and in some cases, it can be a chore to keep the wound clean while it heals.

Often with burns, first comes fire. Fire can be incredibly dangerous in the right circumstances and because of this. Many companies now have stringent rules and regulations in place to limit risks.

While fires at work may not seem to be a problem you think will affect you, burn related injuries can be around any corner, especially in the Oil and Gas industries, Iron Working, Welding and more. In fact, the American Burn Association reported that approximately 486,000 people received medical treatment for burns in 2016.

Now the basics of putting out a fire (especially once you are on fire) should have already been covered when you were in elementary school. Stop, Drop and Roll are great recommendations for things to do once you’re already on fire but is there a way we can avoid it all-together?

As it turns out, there is. One of the most common ways to avoid burns is to stay away from hot things. Well that really isn’t an option for certain professions, so flame resistant and flame-retardant clothing rules became standardized for those industries. But what are they? What’s the difference? And how do they work? Is Fire Resistant better than Fire Retardant? Or Vice Versa? Let’s take a look.

flame resistant vs flame retardant break image

Flame Retardant

Fire retardant clothing are composed of just about any material. That sounds odd but fire retardant anything is actually just an item coated in a chemical spray designed to limit a fire’s impact on the object.

Fire retardant chemicals are not as popular as they used to be due to some of them having toxic chemicals. Fire retardant chemicals are commonly used on plastics and furniture to help reduce the chance of fire spreading. Flame Resistant Chemicals have evolved to also provide other features such as stain guarding.

Flame Retardant Sprays Worth Trying:

*Fire retardants may wash out on clothing. Always check the manufacturer recommendations for instructions applying, maintaining or removing the chemicals.

Flame Resistant

Flame resistant clothing is made from fabrics that are inherently resistant to catching on fire. This means the flame-resistant material naturally deters fire. Unfortunately, many clothing lines have mixed materials, so you need to be careful when buying.

Flame resistant materials, while they can catch fire if exposed directly to a flame, are not likely to catch fire just from being near the fire. Also, should a fire-resistant material catch fire, the fire will have a hard time staying lit. Many of these materials will choke the fire, causing it to extinguish.

Listed Below Are Several Flame Resistant Materials:

Coated Nylon
Carbon Foam
Wool
Leather
Gypsum Boards
Concrete
Cement
Glass

Flame Retardant and Resistant Clothing

Flame retardant and flame-resistant clothing play an important role in many industries. From Oil and Gas all the way to the furniture manufacturing, fire retardant and resistant fabrics are a critical factor for engineers.

This is no exception when it comes to safety gear. Fire resistant/retardant safety vests, shirts and gloves are all examples of gear that has been designed or treated to provide users with an extra layer of protection from flame. Flame retardant/resistant clothing can be very safe but is not meant to be exposed to heat for a long amount of time.

Flame Resistant vs Flame Retardant – Who Wins

While both flame resistant and flame-retardant methods both have their place in safety apparel and other industries, flame resistance is probably considered much safer than flame retardant alternatives. There have been many discussions about the toxic chemicals that can be found in flame retardants and their negative impact on our health, and even ecosystem.

The best solution to fire is to be careful to avoid it whenever possible in unsafe environments. In fact, even when in a safe environment, fires are dangerous and should always be closely monitored. Flame resistant and flame-retardant clothing, are only meant to keep you safe and prevent injury until you can move to a safe location, it doesn’t mean that you can stand in a fire.

flame resistant vs flame retardant break image (2)

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