06/05/2020
EN166 or ANSI safety glasses?
Pretty simple, the standard applies in the country you are using them in.... EN166 are made in accordance with UK/European regulations ANZI for North American standards.
Safety spectacles from safetyspecs.co.uk are made in various labs around the UK and several Bolle frame models are manufactured in France. We only supply EN166 standard eye protection.
Both will protect you if you have chosen the the correct rating but a UK or European safety officer or local H&S regulations may not recognise ANZI standard safety glasses.at your workplace. Any lens engravings containing the digits Z87 are ANZI rated, made for the american market.
Check your markings... If you are grinding, drilling, hammering, airsofting your lenses and frames should have a letter 'F' after the digits EN166, which is the highest impact resistance in spectacles. (ANZI equivalent has a + symbol).
If you have a letter 'S' on the lenses be warned, these aren't shatterproof and are only suitable for use in a hazardous area but NOT NEAR the source of flying particles.
S rated lenses have been useful of late however for COVID-19 protection to stop fluid droplets accessing the eye. (ANZI equivalent doesn't have the + sign after the digits Z87 - a letter S on ANZI rated lenses means something else)