eLaws | eCases | California Law | California Courts | Counties & Cities of California | Code of Federal Regulations |
 California Code of Regulations (Last Updated: August 6, 2014)
 Title 8. Industrial Relations
 Division 1. Department of Industrial Relations
 Chapter 4. Division of Industrial Safety
 Subchapter 7. General Industry Safety Orders
 Group 2. Safe Practices and Personal Protection
 Article 10. Personal Safety Devices and Safeguards

  § 3382. Eye and Face Protection.  

Latest version.
  • (a) Employees working in locations where there is a risk of receiving eye injuries such as punctures, abrasions, contusions, or burns as a result of contact with flying particles, hazardous substances, projections or injurious light rays which are inherent in the work or environment, shall be safeguarded by means of face or eye protection. Suitable screens or shields isolating the hazardous exposure may be considered adequate safeguarding for nearby employees.
    The employer shall provide and ensure that employees use protection suitable for the exposure.
    (b) Where exposed to injurious light rays, the shade of lens to use in any instance shall be selected in accordance with the following table.
    Protection against radiant energy -Selection of shade numbers for welding filter. Table EP-1 shall be used as a guide for the selection of the proper shade numbers of filter lenses or plates used in welding. Shade more dense than those listed may be used to suit the individual's needs.
    TABLE EP-1 -FILTER LENS SHADE NUMBERS FOR PROTECTION AGAINST RADIANT ENERGY
    Shade
    Welding operation
    number
    Shielded metal-arc welding 1 1/16-, 3/32-, 1/8, 5/32-inch
    diameter electrodes
     
    10
    Gas-shielded arc welding (nonferrous) 1/16-, 3/32-, 1/8-,
    5/32-inch diameter electrodes
     
    11
    Gas-shielded arc welding (ferrous) 1/16-, 3/32-, 1/8-,
    5/32-inch diameter electrodes
     
    12
    Shielded metal-arc welding 3/16-, 7/32-, 1/4-inch diameter electrodes
     
    12
    5/16-, 3/8-inch diameter electrodes
     
    14
    Atomic hydrogen welding
     
    10-14
    Carbon-arc welding
     
    14
    Soldering
     
    2
    Torch brazing
     
    3 or 4
    Light cutting, up to 1 inch
     
    3 or 4
    Medium cutting, 1 inch to 6 inches
     
    4 or 5
    Heavy cutting, over 6 inches
     
    5 or 6
    Gas welding (light), up to 1/8-inch
     
    4 or 5
    Gas welding (medium), 1/8-inch to 1/2-inch
     
    5 or 6
    Gas welding (heavy), over 1/2-inch
     
    6 or 8
    (c) Where eye protection is required and the employee requires vision correction, such eye protection shall be provided as follows:
    (1) Safety spectacles with suitable corrected lenses, or
    (2) Safety goggles designed to fit over spectacles, or
    (3) Protective goggles with corrective lenses mounted behind the protective lenses.
HISTORY
1. Repealer and new section filed 7-11-74; effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 74, No. 28).
2. Amendment of subsection (d) filed 10-5-77; effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 77, No. 41).
3. Amendment of subsection (a) filed 4-16-80; effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 80, No. 16).
4. Amendment of subsection (a) filed 7-8-85; effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 85, No. 28).
5. Amendment of newly designated subsection (d)(1) and new subsection (d)(2) filed 12-13-94; operative 1-12-95 (Register 94, No. 50).
6. New subsection (d)(3) filed 9-30-96; operative 10-30-96 (Register 96, No. 40).

Note

Note: The wearing of contact lens is prohibited in working environments having harmful exposure to materials or light flashes, except when special precautionary procedures, which are medically approved, have been established for the protection of the exposed employee.
(d)(1) Design, construction, testing and use of devices for eye and face protection purchased after January 12, 1995 shall be in accordance with American National Standard, Practice for Occupational and Educational Eye and Face Protection, Z87.1-1989, which is hereby incorporated by reference, except that integral lens and frame design will be allowed if the lens frame combination provides unit strength, as well as impact, penetration, heat and flammability resistance, optical qualities and eye zone coverage equal to or greater than is required by ANSI Z87.1-1989.
(2) Eye and face protection purchased on or before January 12, 1995 shall be designed, constructed, and used in accordance with American National Standard (ANSI) Z87.1-1968, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
(3) Side shield protection shall be used whenever the hazard of flying objects is angular as well as frontal.
(e) Laser Protection. Employees whose occupation or assignment requires exposure to laser beams shall be furnished suitable laser safety goggles which will protect for the specific wavelength of the laser and be of optical density (O.D.) adequate for the energy involved. Table EP-2 lists the maximum power or energy density for which adequate protection is afforded by glasses of optical densities from 5 through 8.
TABLE EP-2 -SELECTING LASER SAFETY GLASS
Intensity
Attenuation
CW maximum
Optical
power density
density
Attenuation
(watts/cm2)
(O.D.)
factor
10 -2
5
10 5
10 -1
6
10 6
1.0
7
10 7
10.0
8
10 8
Output levels falling between lines in this table shall require the higher optical density.
(1) All protective goggles shall bear a label identifying the following data:
(A) The laser wavelengths for which use is intended;
(B) The optical density of those wavelengths;
(C) The visible light transmission.
Note: Authority cited: Section 142.3, Labor Code. Reference: Section 142.3, Labor Code.