Heath Safety Glasses

This document was updated on Sunday, 7 June 2026.
I reshot the photo for improved resolution and made minor changes to the text.

During the mid '80s, somebody discovered that the employees at the Heath factory in St. Joseph, Michigan had went an entire year without having any work-related accidents. To celebrate the occasion, Heath Company awarded all employees with a set of four glasses (examples at right) which had the Heath/Zenith logo printed on them.
The lightning bolt Z indicates that Zenith Electronics Corporation still owned Heath Company at the time. However, they later sold Heath (and Zenith Data Systems) to a French firm called Groupe Bull. ZEC allowed ZDS/Bull to keep the "Zenith" name, but not the lightning bolt.
To further promote safety on the job, Heath Company promised more rewards and had set up posters showing charts of the current progress in safety.
Murphy stepped in (of course) and so there were no more accident-free periods lasting up to a year.
Anyway, some of us began referring to them as Safety Glasses. They're sturdy, have a solid base, and aren't likely to fall over and spill your drink if you accidently bump it. The reference, of course, is a play on words to the fact that anyone working in the manufacturing area had to wear safety glasses to protect their eyes.
You may have noticed that there's only three glasses in the photo. Alas, in 2024 or '25, one slipped out of my hands while washing it and shattered beyond all hope of repair.

Back to my personal nostalgia page.