Best Construction Safety Glasses for Men and Women

Safety glasses are standard PPE for construction sites. Most of the eye injuries that take place in the United States could be avoided if workers used the correct eye protection.

Buying a good pair of protective safety glasses is essential to the health of your eyes. But the best pair of safety glasses should be tailored to your particular needs, a pair that you will wear willingly because effective without causing you problems or irritation.  

After our team of construction site professionals tried and tested two dozen pair while on the job, and e received some expert advice from several eye doctors, we have concluded that the NoCry Safety Glasses with wraparound lenses and an adjustable fit is our top choice in safety glasses for construction sites. If you need to wear safety glasses over your prescription eyewear, the NoCry Over-Specs is likewise a convincing option.

Top Safety Glasses for Construction Comparison

Product	Lens	Frame	Weight	Extras
NoCry Safety Glasses	Polycarbonate	Rubber	28 grams	UV protection, Rubber frames, Glare resistant, Anti-fog
NoCry Over-Glasses	Polycarbonate	Rubber	1.28 ounces	Good fit over numerous prescription glasses styles, Protection against various materials
Dewalt DPG82-11 CTR	Polycarbonate	Rubber	1.6 ounces	Replaceable Lenses, Adjustable head strap, ventilation channels
3M Safety Glasses	Polycarbonate	Plastic	3.6 ounces	Indoor/outdoor tint, Protects against UV rays
Magid Classic	Polycarbonate	Nylon	2.4 ounces	Anti-fog, Lateral shields, Temple pads

Our Best Construction Safety Glasses Choices

Our Top Choice: NoCry Safety Glasses with Wrap-Around Lenses

Our top choice fell on these popular safety glasses by NoCry. If “One size fits all” doesn’t answer your needs, these safety glasses permit tons of adjustment.

They come in several colors and offer a snugger fit than other safety glasses by competitors. They are among the bestselling safety glasses available.

Ideal for carpenters, builders, and laborers, they have a stylish wraparound lens design in polycarbonate that offers protection from various hazards you may encounter on the job.

These glasses literally can be customized thanks to their adjustable fit design. The soft silicone nose pieces and the lightweight of 28 grams guarantee comfort on the job. They also have scratch and fog-resistant features.

Pros

• • • Polycarbonate lenses
    • Customizable fit
    • Nose pieces in silicone
    • Wrap-around lenses
    • Scratch-resistant
    • Anti-fog

Cons

• • • Over-ears arms may be uncomfortable for some

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Best to Wear Over Prescription Glasses: NoCry Over-Glasses 

If you need to wear corrective eyewear, finding the right pair of safety glasses can be a real hassle. Over glasses must be able to accommodate your prescription eyewear and provide you with protection.

These NoCry glasses will protect both your eyes and your prescription eyewear at the construction site keeping you out of harm’s way from dust, chemical splashes, and flying debris.

They boast ANSI Z87 and OHSA rating certification meaning they are approved for several professions and work environments. Comfortable and affordably priced.

Pros

• • • Good fit over numerous prescription glasses styles
    • Protection against various materials
    • No vision distortion
    • Affordable

Cons

• • • May not fit over very large prescription glasses

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Best Construction Safety Goggles: Dewalt DPG82-11 CTR 

If you like a goggle style, these Dewalt anti-fog goggles are a terrific choice. The lenses are made with polycarbonate offering impact resistance for tradesmen that deal with flying debris at any construction site.

As goggles, they offer fantastic protection from dirt, mists, chemicals, and particles. Manufactured with dual mold rubber, the goggles conform well to your face.

Ventilation channels contribute to comfort. The lenses can be replaced if desired. They meet ANSI Z87.1+ safety standards.

Pros

• • • Replaceable Lenses 
    • Adjustable head strap
    • Breathable thanks to ventilation channels
    • Affordable

Cons

• • • They are larger sized goggles and require more space when storing

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Other Competitive Choices

3M Safety Glasses Virtua CCS

These safety glasses have an original unique design that is wrap-around providing you will all-around protection from harmful elements.

They have a foam gasket that is removable for comfort and as a seal to protect your eyes offering dust defense and moisture defense. This foam-lined gasket has airflow vents for added comfort.

A featured long-lasting coating guarantees resistance to fog. Corded system for earplugs that doubles as a lanyard. These 3M glasses meet the high Impact Requirements of CSA Z94.3-2007 and of ANSI Z87.1-2020.

Pros

• • • Modern design
    • Foam gasket that is removable
    • anti-fog coating
    • Lens Tint for indoors and outdoors

Cons

• • • Expensive
    • Sizes are limited
    • Compatible earplugs sold separately

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Magid Classic Safety Glasses with Lateral Shields

These are ergonomically designed safety glasses to protect your eyes from all directions thanks to lateral shields.

These shields offer protection from all angles, but thanks to their transparency they guarantee peripheral vision.

The design is classic but stylish with a nylon frame and soft temple pads for added comfort during long work shifts.

Pros

• • • Classic design
    • Anti-fog coating
    • Temple pads 
    • Lateral shields
    • Polycarbonate Lenses

Cons

• • • Some fogging when worn with a dust mask

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Why Construction Professionals Need Safety Glasses?

Construction professionals need eye protection. They are constantly exposed to dust, foreign particles, direct sunlight, UVA, and UVB as well as to impact risks related to falling or flying debris. 

If something gets in your eye, it can damage the eyeball, or irritate your eye leading to a damaging infection. The United States NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health relate that every day approximately 2000 workers require medical treatment for job-related injuries to the eyes.

What We Looked For in Construction Safety Glasses

When considering protective equipment, we want to know if it has been tested and approved independently by a third-party agency to guarantee effectiveness on the job. For safety glasses, we look to two agencies for this type of rating: 

1.) The American National Standards Institute can furnish a Z87.1+ rating for safety glasses that protect the eyes from small particles that travel a distance of 150 feet per second, or 

2.) The European Standards rating that will ensure that safety glasses protect your eyes from small particles traveling 45 meters per second (almost 148 feet).

We attempted to try out these safety glasses in work situations that construction professionals encounter on a daily basis, such as sawing, welding, or dealing with specialized tools and machinery.

We looked at both lens materials and frame materials for weight, comfort and shatter and impact resistance. 

We then considered additional features such as anti-fogging coatings, proneness to scratching or cushioning, and adjustability, we also considered style, as there is no reason to not look good at work, and attractive glasses are more likely to be worn willingly.  

Finally, we tried the glasses on a number of different-sized heads with varying future such as nose widths, ears sizes, and eye placement in order to establish comfort ratings.

Types of Construction Safety Glasses 

Types include:

1.) Over-Prescription safety glasses that can be worn over your required prescription eyeglasses. This will allow you to forgo contact lenses on the job because they give you enough space for another pair of glasses.

2.) Safety Sunglasses so that you won’t have to purchase a pair of sunglasses to work outside, and they will protect those who work outside in direct sunlight. They may feature glare protection and UVA/UVB protection as well.

3.) Bifocals that permit you to read or see up close while you are working. They may be called reading safety glasses. They are perfect for professions that require both reading or detailed up close vision together with PPE.

Materials of Safety Glasses

The majority of safety glasses are made with polycarbonate which is often used in lenses and in protective equipment because it is shatter-resistant.

While some glasses may be made in glass or plastic, these materials are more at risk of shattering under the impact, and that could create even more damage to the eyes because of shards or particles that reach the eyeball. 

Polycarbonate is not as hard as glass and even if coated for resistance to scratch, the polycarbonate lenses may still be at risk for some scratching.

Store polycarbonate safety glasses away from abrasive surfaces or materials. Polycarbonate also offers incredible resistance to chemicals and chemical corrosion, so if your job exposes you to hazardous chemicals, polycarbonate lenses may be an outstanding choice.

Trauma to the eye area is also a consideration including the bones around the eye socket. Should equipment or a piece of debris fly toward the eye, it can cause blunt force trauma. Protective safety glasses can limit if not eliminate these risks.

See also: Best Safety Glasses for Woodworking

How should construction safety glasses Fit

While material indicates a lot about the quality of safety glasses construction, the best glasses on the market won’t do their job of protecting your eyes if they don’t fit properly.

Ideally, safety glasses should be tried on in person, because like prescription eyeglasses, they should fit securely and comfortably on the bridge of your nose and in relation to the width of your face. They also should not irritate or be uncomfortable while resting on your ears.

Why it’s important to wear comfortable safety glasses for construction work?

If you wear your safety glasses for an entire workday or for long periods without a break, comfort is an important consideration. Tight glasses will be uncomfortable and can potentially cause headaches or localized irritation.

On the contrary, loose-fitting glasses may not afford you the protection you need. Look for rubber temple pieces or nose pieces to cushion your head and avoid unwanted pressure.

Adjustable features are also an option because they fit comfortably on various head sizes allowing for a minimum of customization.

Additional Features of Safety Glasses

Added features that may be crucial to your work environment include:

Ultraviolet protection. If you work predominantly at an outdoor construction site, you will need UV protection. Ultraviolet radiation can cause significant damage to your eyes including loss of vision without safety precautions. 

UVB radiation will also contribute to the formation of cataracts, which can best be defined as cloudy patches on your eye lens which will obscure your vision and potentially lead to blindness.

If the damage becomes extensive, there may not be treatment, so prevention is the best medicine. While many safety glasses will offer UVA protection, if you work outdoors, you should look for UVB protection as well.

Together with tinted safety glasses, UVA and UVB protection will offer you the best all-around protection available.

Polarization. When light hits the surface of your glasses, it will reflect in various directions. If the surface is flat it will reflect horizontally which can cause glare that momentarily can be blinding.

In order to avoid glare risk, some safety glasses will be available with polarized lenses to block out light that is reflected in a horizontal direction. Polarization will reduce the risk of glare reflected from the surface.

Peripheral Protection. All safety glasses will protect the front of your face from dust, particles, or flying debris, but damage can still occur when these elements strike the side of your face.

Lateral shields or wrap-around designs will increase the amount of protection your eyes receive. More protection is the key when the unimaginable happens.

Anti-fogging. If you wear your glasses in the heat with excessive perspiration or even in very humid situations, there is a good chance that your safety glasses will fog up.

This can really create workplace hazards if you can’t see fully what you are doing. Many safety glasses come with anti-fog coatings to prevent fogging. Another option is anti-fog wipes that you can purchase and use before beginning work.

A simple DIY trick is to coat the lenses with soap or shaving cream and set them aside. After a while buff them clean. This will not last as long as wipes or permanent anti-fog coatings.

See also: How to prevent glasses from fogging up

The Bottom Line

No matter what type of construction work you do, or even DIY projects at home, you need a great pair of safety glasses to protect your vision.

Our top pick, the NoCry Safety Glasses, as well as the NoCry Over-Spec Construction Safety Glasses are incredibly comfortable while they afford a high protection level for your activities.

Thank you for reading this article and we hope to have been of assistance in your search for the best construction safety glasses.