NEW YORK--About every 10 years, the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a private nonprofit
organization, reviews ANSI standards.
ANSI administers and coordinates the
U.S. voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system for
a variety of products. An important aspect of ANSI's mission is to
promote and facilitate voluntary consensus standards and conformity
systems and to safeguard their integrity.
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The new ANSI standard, which
succeeded the old Z87.1-1989 standard, for Occupational and
Educational Eye and Face Protection reflects a major change which
is that both frames and lenses must be subjected to and pass
rigorous testing to meet the new standard.
The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) references the ANSI Z87 standard so it's
important that safety eyewear dispensed as such meets the
requirements mandated by OSHA.
The old standard for rated
prescription safety glasses was based on the ability of the frame
to withstand high-impact testing. The new standard has testing
criteria for both the frame and the lenses. There are now two
levels of performance called Basic Impact and High
Impact.
Frames must undergo testing in
addition to the typical high mass and high velocity impact tests.
The ability of the frame to retain a 2.0 mm High Impact lens must
be proven. If it doesn't meet the criteria, the completed
prescription must bear a warning label of the High Impact
standard.
Experts say it's important to make
sure the frame standard is tested; a frame that successfully
retains a 3.00 mm lens may not always be capable of retaining a
2.00 mm lens.
The new standard also details new
differing requirements for non-plano (prescription) lenses which is
much more stringent than the older standard.
This and new standards for
high-velocity impact resistance are also part of the
change.
For a full understanding of the old
and new requirements, markings, sideshields, and other details,
further information is available from ANSI on its website (webstore.ansi.org/ansidocstore/default.asp--select
ASSE and choose Z87.1) and also from safety wholesale laboratories
or safety eyewear suppliers.