Safety professionals who understand the need for and use of protective eyewear may nonetheless be perplexed by the recently revised ANSI Z87.1-2003 Standard. The revisions of the American National Standards Institute's voluntary, though commonly complied-with, industrial standard are some of the most significant in the history of protective eyewear.
Because ANSI Z87.1-2003 became effective in August, safety professionals need to familiarize themselves with the new standard as soon as possible. In this article, we'll try to clarify the major changes in Z87.1-2003, officially called the "American National Standard Practice for Occupational and Educational Personal Eye Protective Devices."