Page 54 - OHS, July/August 2020

PPE: HEAD PROTECTION
Why the ANSI 87.1 Standard Matters When Choosing Proper Eye and Face Protection as Hard Hat Accessories
Protective gear must be chosen by understanding and complying with the information contained in ANSI/ISEA Z87.1.
BY DENNIS CAPIZZI
Whether choosing eye and/or face pro- tection safety equipment as standalone gear or as integrated hard hat accesso- ries, protective gear must be chosen by understanding and complying with the information contained in ANSI/ISEA Z87.1—American National Standard for Occupational and Educational Personal Eye and Face Protection Devices.
ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2020 is the sixth and most re- cent version of the voluntary industry consensus standard for eye and face protection. While it is a vol- untary standard, it is codified by OSHA and requires employers to provide appropriate eye and face safety gear conforming to industry standards.
While much of the standard is essentially the same as previous iterations, it does allow for some relaxed optical criteria in some cases where a more stringent, historically imposed requirement isn’t necessary. However, most apply to non-industry operations such as first-responder, firefighting and military personnel.
Industrial applications should still have an appro- priate hazard assessment done for selecting the proper eye and face protection gear. This will also help deter- mine if eye and face protection equipment is used as a standalone product or in conjunction with head pro- tection as a hard hat accessory or add-on component.
Additionally, emerging technologies not anticipat- ed by the writers of past editions are taken into account
in the 2020 version. This includes, but is not limited to, tolerances for automatic darkening welding filters, and determining the testing requirements for minimum coverage area with regards to head form testing of gear submitted by safety equipment manufacturers.
What the ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2020 Means for You as an Industry Professional
Proper eye and face protection are essential for keep- ing workers from harm on the jobsite. A hazard anal- ysis and safety assessment will provide the informa- tion needed, determining the potential hazards in the workplace. Once completed, you can use this standard to determine the products that meet the criteria for the hazards found and documented.
Compliant safety eyewear and face protection gear will be permanently marked with the appropriate ANSI Z87 stamps.
This stamp or permanent marking signifies that the equipment complies with and has passed all the requirements of the standard, including testing. This includes any eye and face protection equipment de- signed for use as hard hat accessories.
The complete standard marking is used to help the end user select the proper gear for the application they encounter. However, certain hazardous exposures are not covered in the standard. Those not covered in the standard—listed in Section 2.1 Scope—include, but are not limited to: bloodborne pathogens, radio fre- quency radiation, lasers and masers. Sports and rec- reation gear are also not included in the standard. See the full standard for a more complete listing of uncov- ered eye and face protection scenarios.
What Hazards are Included in the Standard?
We have discussed what hazardous exposures are not included in the standard, but what about the hazards that are? Quoting from Section 2.1:
“This standard sets forth criteria related to the requirements, testing, permanent marking, selection, care, and use of protectors to mini- mize the occurrence and severity or prevention of injuries from such hazards as impact, non- ionizing radiation and liquid splash exposures in occupational and educational environments including, but not limited to, machinery opera- tions, material welding and cutting, chemical
48 Occupational Health & Safety | JULY/AUGUST 2020
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