Safety Glasses

Science Olympiad has provided definitions of the various kinds of safety glasses that are to be used in events. This policy was recently revised for the 2016 and future seasons, in which eye protection is divided into three categories. This page gives an overview of the current classes of eye protection, as well as pictures. However, be sure to read the official Science Olympiad, Inc. policy page as well.

The rules manuals state the category of eye protection that is acceptable for each event, usually under rule 1, near the top of the rules page for each event.

In order to be approved for use in Science Olympiad, safety spectacles must meet the ANSI standard at the time of their manufacture, bearing the manufacturer's "Z87" or "Z87+" mark. Removable lenses must also bear the "Z87" mark. In general, regular eyeglasses, whether with or without special safety glass, are not approved unless they bear this mark.

''Please note that the pictures may not necessarily show glasses that are actually ANSI rated. They were merely chosen for visual similarity to the classes listed at soinc.org.''

Other Information
The "Z87" mark, which all acceptable eye protection must bear, indicates basic particle protection. This is the distinguishing feature of Category A and a requirement of Category C. A "Z87+" mark indicates impact protection, and is the distinguishing feature of Category B. Goggles that bear the "Z87+" marking and provide indirect vent chemical/splash protection meet the criteria for all three categories. As such, they may be used for any event which requires eye protection.

In most cases, a determination of what constitutes hazardous is left to the individual event supervisor, who is considered to be in the best position to make that determination. However, the eye protection policy explicitly states that water is not considered a hazardous material, and on its own, unpressurized water does not require protective eyewear.

Contestants must not be allowed to participate without the level of protection required by the rules. It is sometimes impossible for event supervisors to know what hazards a team's device may present; therefore, it is incumbent upon teams to bring and wear a higher level of protection than what is specified in the rules when their device warrants it.

Events that Require Safety Glasses
2020 Events

Category A Category B
 * Division B:
 * None
 * Division C:
 * None


 * Division B:
 * Boomilever
 * Density Lab
 * Elastic Launched Glider
 * Machines
 * Mousetrap Vehicle
 * Ping Pong Parachute
 * Division C:
 * Boomilever
 * Machines
 * Ping Pong Parachute

Category C
 * Division B:
 * Crime Busters
 * Experimental Design
 * Food Science
 * Mission Possible
 * Water Quality
 * Division C:
 * Chemistry Lab
 * Experimental Design
 * Forensics
 * Water Quality

2019 Events

Category A Category B Category C
 * Division B:
 * None
 * Division C:
 * None
 * Division B:
 * Boomilever
 * Density Lab
 * Elastic Launch Glider
 * Roller Coaster
 * Division C:
 * Boomilever
 * Mousetrap Vehicle
 * Division B:
 * Crime Busters
 * Experimental Design
 * Potions and Poisons
 * Thermodynamics
 * Water Quality
 * Division C:
 * Chemistry Lab
 * Experimental Design
 * Forensics
 * Mission Possible
 * Thermodynamics
 * Water Quality

2018 Events

Category A Category B
 * Division B:
 * None
 * Division C:
 * None
 * Division B:
 * Hovercraft
 * Roller Coaster
 * Towers
 * Division C:
 * Hovercraft
 * Mousetrap Vehicle
 * Towers

Category C
 * Division B:
 * Crime Busters
 * Experimental Design
 * Microbe Mission
 * Potions and Poisons
 * Thermodynamics
 * Division C:
 * Chemistry Lab
 * Experimental Design
 * Forensics
 * Materials Science
 * Microbe Mission
 * Mission Possible
 * Thermodynamics

2017 Events

Category A Category B Category C
 * Division B:
 * None
 * Division C:
 * None
 * Division B:
 * Bottle Rocket
 * Hovercraft
 * Mission Possible
 * Scrambler
 * Towers
 * Wind Power
 * Division C:
 * Hovercraft
 * Robot Arm
 * Towers
 * Wind Power
 * Division B:
 * Crime Busters
 * Experimental Design
 * Food Science
 * Microbe Mission
 * Division C:
 * Chemistry Lab
 * Experimental Design
 * Forensics
 * Materials Science
 * Microbe Mission

2016 Events

Category A Category B Category C By Event
 * Division B:
 * None
 * Division C:
 * None
 * Division B:
 * Air Trajectory
 * Bottle Rocket
 * Bridge Building
 * Elastic Launched Glider
 * Mission Possible
 * Wind Power
 * Division C:
 * Air Trajectory
 * Bridge Building
 * Robot Arm
 * Wind Power
 * Division B:
 * Bio-Process Lab
 * Crime Busters
 * Experimental Design
 * Food Science
 * Division C:
 * Cell Biology
 * Chemistry Lab
 * Experimental Design
 * Forensics

Past Policy
In the past, the eye protection policy used numbered classifications, Type 1 through Type 5. This system was replaced and simplified prior to the 2016 season. In addition, several events that previously required eye protection have had that requirement removed.