Safety product manufacturer MSA recently launched a range of new protective eyewear.

The company is promoting the range as safe and stylish eyewear. MSA Africa senior head, eye, face and hearing product manager Loren Pearson says that the style aspect of safetywear is important as it encourages compliance of use by the wearers.

The company reports that while some of the more traditional and popular frame styles have been retained, the new models offer a different look in protective eyewear.

The lens options in the range include bronze, clear, grey, green shade infrared, indoor or outdoor and amber lenses.

Pearson says that the two green infrared lenses can be used in applications where workers are involved with infrared applications and the lower and higher levels of protection are available for applications where the intensity of heat or flames that an operator works with varies. The company reports that these lenses are particularly suited for workers in smelters, furnace operations and metalworks.

The company reports that all MSA eyewear has an antifog coating on the inside and the outside of the lenses. Pearson say that this is particularly useful in the hot and humid environments that are common in South Africa.

The indoor and outdoor lenses are useful for workers who often move between light and dark work areas. “These lenses are suitable for forklift operators who travel indoors and outdoors, as they reduce glare that causes eye strain and fatigue,” says Pearson. The lenses in the new MSA range enable good colour recognition for traffic and warning signals in applications where a task-specific lens is not required.

The company reports that amber lenses are useful for blocking out high-intensity blue light, such as ultraviolet light, as they filter out hazy light which is harsh for the eyes.

Pearson says that both managers and workers in South Africa take safety eyewear seriously, given its advantages. She adds that awareness of the need for high-quality, certified safety products, especially in the head, eye and hearing products sector, has increased. Companies are willing to spend more on safety equipment if the products have good performance, are dura- ble and have a long life span.

Safety eyewear is applicable to a large number of industries, says Pearson.

MSA has also launched a new range of earmuffs that are available in low, medium and high attenuating versions. They are available in headband- and helmet-attachable versions. Pearson says that the earmuffs have contoured earcup cushions for comfort and a better fit.

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