Uni standard for ski goggles

Standard Uni EN 174 'Personal eye protection - Ski goggles for downhill skiing' applies to all goggles worn to protect the eyes during skiing and other downhill sports such as snowboarding.

As with every safe product, regular goggles must respect some safety and performance requirements, such as:
- they must not have sharp edges or finishes to prevent wearer trauma;
- they must have an adjustable elastic strap that guarantees correct positioning behind the head;
- the materials used must be non-toxic and anallergic to prevent any skin reaction;
- the material in contact with the face must be soft and flexible to avoid discomfort.

According to the standard, the design stage of safe goggles must guarantee a good flow of air to ensure comfort and good visibility during use.

For this reason, the goggles must pass certain laboratory tests such as:
- mechanical strength, which consists in throwing a metal disc (2.2 cm diameter and weighing 43 g) at the lenses to check that the impact does not cause any breakage or permanent buckling;
- resistance to fire; carried out by placing a test sample in direct contact with a steel rod, at least 5 cm in length and a temperature of around 650 °C. After 5 seconds the goggles must not catch fire or remain hot.

Safe ski goggles are recognizable by the CE mark and by the information supplied by the manufacturer, which must, for example, state the standard number and date, the manufacturer's name and/or trademark, usage, maintenance and cleaning instructions.