The ANSI Z87.1 Standard - Practice for Occupational and Educational Eye and Face Protection and the ANSI Z117.1 Standard - Safety Requirements for Confined Spaces, are both now available for public review.

The ANSI eye protection standard is a significant revision of the 1989 document, which was then reaffirmed in 1998.

This standard sets criteria related to the description, general requirements, testing, marking, selection, care and use of protectors to minimize or prevent injuries from such hazards as impact, non-ionizing radiation and chemical-type injuries - in occupational and educational environments including machinery operations, material welding and cutting, chemical handling and assembly operations.

The ANSI confined space standard is a significant revision of the 1995 document.

This standard provides minimum safety requirements to be followed while entering, exiting and working in confined spaces at normal atmospheric pressure. It does not pertain to underground mining, tunneling, caisson work or other similar tasks that have established national consensus standards. This standard does not address the special procedures and precautions associated with entry into intentionally inert confined spaces.

To obtain copies of these drafts, visit the American Society of Safety Engineers' Web site at www.asse.org. Comments regarding these draft standards must be submitted to the attention of the secretariat by the end of the business day on July 23, 2002, for Z117.1 and July 30, 2002, for Z87.1.

Comments can be submitted in the following way:

  • ANSI Accredited Committees, Attn: Tim Fisher, C/O ASSE CoPS, 1800 East Oakton St., Des Plaines, IL 60018
  • Sent electronically to TFisher@ASSE.Org
  • Faxed to the attention of Tim Fisher at (847) 296-9221.