Face shield

Face Shield: A meaningful contribution to a safe workplace

The eyes, nose and mouth in particular are often exposed to many risks in working life, ranging from splinters or liquid splashes to infectious particles that become a danger to personnel, especially in service and healthcare professions. A transparent face visor or face shield protects the sensitive facial area without restricting vision, thus ensuring a safe working environment.

Face shield: features and benefits

A face shield (or: protective visor, face visor, face shield) refers to discs made of transparent plastic that cover the entire eye, mouth and nose area. Unlike face masks, they do not fit tightly, but "float" in front of the wearer's face, as it were. This makes it easier to breathe under the visor than with a mask, so that the Face Shield can be worn comfortably for longer periods.

Another advantage is that the face is visible under the transparent plastic. This makes communication with customers or clients easier. Beards and glasses also do not impair the function of a protective visor. Another big plus for spectacle wearers is that the glasses under the face visor are less likely to fog up compared to the mask. After wearing, the plastic visor can be easily cleaned and disinfected, so it can be used many times.

What is the purpose of a face shield?

First and foremost, the Face Shield provides protection against particles or liquid splashes that hit the visor from the outside. For example, a protective visor retains splinters or dust particles that are generated during sawing, grinding or welding and can lead to injuries in the facial area. It also intercepts even the smallest drops of saliva released by the person opposite when speaking or sneezing. These can contain pathogens and thus lead to infection.

However, a visor does not perform the same function as a mask: since it does not tightly enclose the mouth-nose area, it is not suitable as protection against harmful gases or aerosols. A particle-filtering mask(FFP mask) is required for this purpose. A face visor is also only suitable to a limited extent for protecting the environment from pathogens. Although it deflects larger droplets of liquid downward when coughing or sneezing, aerosols can still flow past the protective visor to the outside. To prevent this, however, the visor can easily be combined with a mouth/nose cover.

Face protection: the main areas of application

For many occupational groups, a face shield is part of the personal protective equipment (PPE) that the employer must provide. Face shields are worn wherever there are hazards from flying splinters, splashes or dust particles, such as in

• certain skilled trades
• Industry and production
• Forestry
• Agriculture
• Construction
• Mining

Since the beginning of the corona pandemic, employees in service professions and in the healthcare sector have increasingly been wearing face shields. The face shield, which is kept transparent, can be useful wherever there is direct contact with customers or patients, such as in

• Medical practices
• Health professions (physiotherapists, midwives, etc.)
• Gastronomy and hotel business
• Retail
• Authorities with direct client contact

Caution: In many federal states, a protective visor does not count as mouth-nose protection! Where this is mandatory, a tight-fitting mask or a mouth-nose covering should therefore be worn under the visor.

Protective visor: legal standards and certification

Face visors in the workplace are considered personal protective equipment (PPE) and must therefore comply with the EU PPE Regulation 2016/425. Among other things, the regulation provides for a uniform inspection and certification procedure for quality assurance. In the case of face protection, the European standard DIN EN 166 for personal eye protection is what counts first and foremost. It requires criteria such as

• Protection against flammability
• sufficiently large, transparent field of view
• No risk of injury due to sharp edges
• Resistance of the material to disinfectants

Only products produced and tested according to DIN EN 166 are available in our store. This is recognizable by the imprinted CE mark.

Criteria when buying a face visor

Even though all reputable manufacturers adhere to the legally prescribed standards, there are definitely differences between the individual products. Therefore, when choosing a face visor, consider these criteria:

Robust material

Face shields are made of transparent plastic, usually polycarbonate. It is important that the material of the visor is light and yet as stable as possible, impact and scratch resistant. In addition, the plastic should be sweat-resistant.

Low weight

Particularly in the service sector, the face visor is not normally exposed to any great mechanical stresses. It should therefore be as light as possible so that it can be worn comfortably even over a long period of time. Products for use on construction sites or in industry may be slightly heavier due to their robust design.

Protection from fogging

The material should remain transparent even with temperature differences. To protect against possible tarnishing of the visor, many manufacturers provide the plastic with an anti-fog coating.

Sufficiently large protective field

A protective visor only fulfills its purpose if it covers the eye, mouth and nose area at the front and sides as completely as possible. At the same time, however, it must not restrict freedom of movement.

Comfortable headband

The head support should be adjustable in size and have cushioning pads to prevent pressure points.

CE certified face shield conveniently buy online

No compromises should be made when it comes to safety in the workplace! In our store you will find only tested, certified face visors that meet the requirements of DIN EN 166. If required, the face shield can be combined with other products such as respirators or protective clothing.

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