US Safety Equipment Standards and Certification

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US Safety Equipment Standards and Certification
Standardization Administration of China TC112
Annual MeetingGuangzhou, November 26, 2006

• Daniel K. Shipp
• President
• International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA)

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ISEA
The trade association for PPE manufacturers

• Emergency Eyewash and Shower
• Eye and Face Protection
• Fall Protection
• First Aid
• Hand Protection
• Head Protection

• Hearing Protection
• High-Visibility Products
• Instruments
• Protective Apparel
• Respiratory Protection
• RPED

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ISEA Standards

• Eye and Face Protection (ANSI Z87.1)
• Head Protection (ANSI Z89.1)
• First Aid Kits (ANSI Z308.1)
• Eyewash and Shower (ANSI Z358.1)
• Disposable Coveralls (ANSI/ISEA 101)
• Gas Detector Tubes (ANSI/ISEA 102)
• Passive Monitors (ANSI/ISEA 104)
• Glove Selection (ANSI/ISEA 105)
• High Visibility Apparel Headgear (ANSI/ISEA
  107)
• Smoke Hoods (ANSI/ISEA 110)
• High Visibility Public Safety Vests (ANSI/ISEA
  207)

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U.S. Overview

• Government safety and health standards regulate
  the workplace
• Equipment standards set levels of performance
• Government
• Voluntary consensus
• Conformity assessment assures product performance
  to standards

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Why safety standards?

• Workplace regulations
• protect the safety and health of workers
• provide economic benefit to employers
• Product standards
• establish performance baseline for safety
  equipment
• establish common language for manufacturers,
  employers, users

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Safety health regulation

• US Government standards regulate the workplace
• Require use of protective equipment that meets
  product standards
• OSHA regulates general industry, construction
• MSHA regulates mining
• NIOSH provides research and certification

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Equipment standards

• Set minimum levels of performance for worker
  safety and health
• Protection from traumatic injury to head, eyes,
  hands, torso, feet
• Protection from long-term injury to respiratory
  system, hearing
• Government or voluntary consensus standards

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Government PPE standards

• Developed through rule-making process
• Have the force of law
• NIOSH respiratory standards
• EPA noise reduction standards
• Military specifications
• 80 federal agencies and departments

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Consensus standards

• Cover most types of PPE
• Developed by consensus
• Impartiality assures competition
• Nationally recognized
• Establish a baseline of performance
• ANSI recognized standards
• 600 organizations

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International standards

• US participation in ISO, IEC
• ANSI is the official member
• US Technical Advisory Group (USTAG)
• US does not accept most ISO standards for PPE
• Other US standards are used around the world

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Conformity assessment

• NIOSH certifies respirators
• Most PPE is self-certified
• Some companies voluntarily have their products
  approved by independent third-party certification
  bodies

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Global perspective

• More reliance on mandatory testing
  certification
• serves global market needs
• government involvement
• International standards
• serve the needs of a global market
• U.S. participation
• influence on domestic standards

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ISEA procedures

• ISEA follows ANSI procedures in developing
  standards
• www.standardsportal.org
• Process begins with manufacturers
• ISEA initiates a new standard or a revision
• ISEA notifies ANSI, and ANSI issues public
  notification

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ISEA procedures - 2

• ISEA establishes a list of reviewers
• Producers, users, government, experts
• Must be a balance of interests
• Canvass list is the decision-making body
• Standard is written and approved internally in
  ISEA
• Standard is sent to the reviewers
• Public comment period begins at the same time

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ISEA procedures - 3

• Consensus body votes to approve or disapprove the
  standard
• ISEA resolves objections, and considers public
  comments
• When there is consensus, ISEA sends the standard
  to ANSI for final approval
• Any party can appeal during the process
• ISEA publishes and sells its standards
• Every standard has a five-year life

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ANSI committee method

• Standard is drafted and approved by an accredited
  committee
• Balanced committee of producers, users,
  government, experts
• Committee is the consensus body
• ANSI approvals are required
• PPE committees include Z87, Z359 (ASSE)

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Current ISEA activities

• Updating standards that are due for revision
• 2008
• Smoke Hoods (ANSI/ISEA 110)
• Eye and Face (ANSI/ISEA Z87.1)
• Head Protection (ANSI/ISEA Z89.1)
• First Aid Kits (ANSI/ISEA Z308.1)
• 2009
• High-visibility Apparel (ANSI/ISEA 107)
• Eyewash Shower (ANSI/ISEA Z358.1)

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Current ISEA activities

• New standards projects
• Classification of Chemical Protective Clothing
  (ANSI/ISEA 103)
• Considered for adoption as an ISO standard
• Decontamination Showers (ANSI/ISEA 113)
• Performance of chemical detection instruments
• Thermal apparel, personal hydration systems
• Other North American standards committees
• NFPA
• ASTM
• ANSI
• CSA

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ISEA international projects

• ISO TC94
• SC1 Head protection.
• ISEA administers the USTAG
• SC4 Fall protection
• SC6 Eye and face protection
• SC13 Protective clothing
• SC15 Respiratory protection
• ISEA administers the USTAG, with NIOSH

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• www.safetyequipment.org