Uvex Safety Inc., the Smithfield-based maker and distributor of protective eyewear and other safety equipment, is changing its name to Bacou-Dalloz Eye & Face Protection Inc.

The local company, although it had continued to use the Uvex name, has been a subsidiary of Bacou-Dalloz S.A. for several years.

The parent company – based in Roissy Cedex, France – was formed by the 2001 merger of Christian Dalloz and Group Bacou. (READ MORE)

Bacou-Dalloz is a world leader in the manufacture of personal protective equipment. Its clients include the U.S. government, which buys its chemical-biological escape hoods, and the French military.

Essilor International now owns 15 percent of Bacou-Dalloz S.A.; the Bacou and Dalloz families each control about 13 percent.