What is BS EN 14458-Requirements for high-performance visors about?
BS EN 14458 discusses personal eye equipment. BS EN 14458 is a European standard that provides requirements for high-performance visors intended to be used with protective helmets to ensure eye protection from workplace hazards.
BS EN 14458 specifies the minimum requirements for visors designed specifically to be used only with protective helmets e.g., firefighter helmets conforming to EN 443, EN 16471, and EN 16473 and high-performance industrial helmets conforming to EN 14052. These visors may be permanently fitted to or be removable from the helmet.
Under BS EN 14458 three types of visors in two forms are described:
- Faceguards provide both eye and face protection
- Eye guards that are shorter and effectively provide only eye protection
The three types are:
- Visors for general use: eye guards and face guards providing resistance and protection against mechanical, liquid chemical, and basic physical hazards
- Visors with increased thermal performance: face guards that additionally provide resistance and/or protection against higher than basic levels of heat and flame
- Mesh visors: eye guards and face guards that incorporate mesh lenses with defined levels of performance from EN 1731, and other additional mechanical requirements described in this European Standard.
Note1: The visors under BS EN 14458 are not intended to protect against smoke and gas /vapor hazards.
Note2: Visors for sporting use, those with corrective effect, and goggles used with a protective helmet are not covered under BS EN 14458.
Who is BS EN 14458-Requirements for high-performance visors for?
BS EN 14458 on requirements for high-performance visors is useful for:
- Personal eye equipment-visor manufacturers
- Personal eye equipment-visor designers
- Personal eye equipment-visor testing laboratories/test personnel
- Occupational health and safety departments
Why should you use BS EN 14458-Requirements for high-performance visors?
Eye protection is a type of personal protective equipment (PPE) designed to prevent injury to the eye. A visor is a device that protects all or part of the face including at least the eyes.
BS EN 14458 provides you with classification, performance requirements, optical filtering performance, test methods, visual inspection, electrical properties tests.
The requirements and test methods provided by BS EN 14458 assist to improve the performance of visors that are intended to be used with protective helmets and ensure protection to end-users from eye injuries.
By adopting BS EN 14458 the user can enhance the efficacy of the visors and produce a product of high quality and standard.
What is changed since the last update?
BS EN 14458:2018 supersedes EN 14458:2004, which is withdrawn. BS EN 14458:2018 has made some technical changes compared to previous editions EN 14458:2004. These include:
- Change of title
- Correction of discrepancies between this European Standard and the designated helmet standards and modifications regarding terms and definitions
- Clarifications regarding the three distinct types of visors covered by this standard and the corresponding tests and requirements and clarification regarding the two forms of visors considered in this standard, e.g., only face guards for increased thermal performance. introduction of two radiant heat exposure levels and the corresponding tests for increased thermal performance visors
- Revision and extension of the practical performance test
- A new normative Annex A that summarizes the conditioning, Number of test samples, and the sequence of tests to be done
