ASSP recently joined several safety and health organizations in supporting a petition encouraging OSHA to consider updating regulatory references to several personal protective equipment (PPE) consensus standards as part of the agency’s ongoing work to maintain effective worker protections.

The petition recommends that OSHA consider updating regulatory references to more current versions of the following national consensus standards:

• ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 for eye and face protection
• ANSI/ISEA Z89.1 for industrial head protection
• ANSI/ISEA Z308.1 for workplace first aid kits

Some OSHA regulations reference earlier editions of these standards. Since those references were established, the standards themselves have evolved to reflect advances in safety science, materials, testing methods and workplace hazards.

Updating regulatory references to more recent editions would help align OSHA requirements with widely used consensus standards that reflect current industry practices.

More than 100 million U.S. workers rely on PPE and safety supplies in their daily work. Keeping PPE standards current helps ensure the equipment used to protect them reflects the latest safety knowledge and technology.

ASSP’s participation in the effort reflects the Society’s longstanding support for voluntary consensus standards and the role they play in advancing worker protection. The Society has long emphasized the importance of aligning workplace safety regulations with current consensus standards, which reflect the collective expertise of safety professionals across industry, government, labor and academia. Developed through a collaborative process involving these stakeholders, consensus standards help ensure workplace safety guidance reflects current knowledge, emerging risks and evolving technology. 

OSHA has long recognized the value of voluntary consensus standards as an important tool for supporting effective and practical workplace safety protections.

The petition was submitted to OSHA by the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) and supported by several organizations representing the occupational environmental, health and safety (EHS) community.

ASSP values its continued partnership with OSHA and supports collaborative efforts that help ensure workplace safety regulations reflect current knowledge and best practices. Efforts like this demonstrate how regulators, industry and safety professionals can work together to keep worker protections aligned with evolving safety science and technology.