The most recent edition of the American National Standard used for safety glasses, safety goggles, side shields, and other eye and face protection devices is ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2020: American National Standard For Occupational And Educational Personal Eye And Face Protection Devices.

Why Our Eyes Are So Important

The significance to the human face is universally noticed. We have the ability to learn many things from others simply by looking at their face, such as identifying personalities, emotions, and even health issues.

This talent is unique to primates and perfected in humans. For example, we can sense the direction where other people are looking by observing the whites of their eyes, and we can deduce another’s feelings and thoughts by the movement of their cheeks and lips. Some work activities can be harmful to our faces, damaging our ability to project our emotional status to be read by others. Potential threats span from eye and skin exposure from ultraviolet radiation to direct impact by foreign objects, debris or chemicals.

Protect Your Eyes with Safety Glasses

Our eyes, carrying complexities like the lens, retina, and pupil that were naturally selected over millions of years, are important. In addition to interacting with the world around us, this pair of organs can be essential in how others interpret our emotions. Unfortunately, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 2,000 U.S. workers sustain a job-related eye injury each day that requires medical treatment. Due to the sheer importance of the human eye, every effort should be made to eliminate eye and face hazards in occupational and educational settings. Many professionals look to the “Z87” marking on safety glasses and similar eye and face protection apparatus to assure their effectiveness.

ANSI Z87.1 Safety Glasses

Such markings relay adherence to the minimum requirements laid out in the ANSI Z87.1 standard. Marking specifications are outlined in ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2020, but this document covers a range of information, setting forth criteria related to the requirements, testing, permanent marking, selection, care, and use of protectors to minimize the occurrence and severity or prevention of injuries. These injuries include impact, non-ionizing radiation and liquid splash exposures in occupational and educational environments such as machinery operations, material welding and cutting, chemical handling, and assembly operations. Please note, however, that ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2020 does not cover other hazardous exposures like bloodborne pathogens, X-rays, high-energy particulate radiation, microwaves, radio-frequency radiation, lasers, masers, and sports and recreation.

As a performance-oriented standard, ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2020 requirements apply to protectors when first placed in service. This way, protectors bearing the permanent marking Z87 meet all applicable requirements of this standard in its entirety.

History of ANSI Z87.1

The 2020 edition of ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 is the first revision to be released since 2015. Previously, 2010 revision was monumental, shifting towards being more hazard-based as opposed to the original product configuration requirements of the standard. The 2015 edition polished these changes, as it also addressed issues related to the emergence of new technologies that were not previously covered in ANSI/ISEA Z87.1. For example, protectors known as “magnifiers” and “readers” that have lenses with magnifying properties were incorporated in the standard.

Changes to ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2020

The standard for eye and face protection effectively protects personnel by remaining current. The 2010 revision of this standard was monumental, and the 2015 revision continued this trend by addressing issues with emerging technologies.

Over the past five years, various innovations in product design needed to be addressed by this standard, which continues to focus on product performance and harmonize with international standards. Due to this, ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2020 underwent the following changes from the 2015 edition:

• Criteria and requisite markings for protectors offering relaxed optics were added as an option to long-standing requirements. This in response to the recognition that certain job tasks and applications, including those of first-responder, firefighting or military personnel, may not need require the stringent optical criteria historically imposed.
• Testing, performance, and marking criteria for lenses with anti-fog properties were added, since fogging can impede a wearer’s ability to perform work safely.
• Transmittance allowances were changed.
• Welding filter shades were expanded.

Clarifications were added to provide consistency in testing for applying dark-state tolerances for automatic darkening welding filters and determining the minimum cover-age area with respect to the specified headform.

If you’d like to learn more about the changes made to past revisions of the standard for safety glasses, please refer to our post ANSI Z87.1 Eye and Face Protection Devices Standard.

ANSI Z87.1 General Requirements

The ANSI Z87.1 certification provides a system organized based on encountered hazards. With this standard, the choice of safety eyewear revolves around what best represents the protection needed for the specific hazards encountered in the workplace. The most common hazards are:

• Blunt impact
• Radiation
• Splashes and droplets
• Dust
• Small particles

ANSI Z87.1 Testing Processes

ANSI Z87.1 certified safety glasses undergo intensive testing to ensure they’ll protect eyes as expected. Tests include:

• Basic and high-impact for lenses and frames.
• Exposure to non-ionizing radiation and chemicals.
• Durability to flammables and corrosion.

ANSI Z87.1 Product Markings

The ANSI Z87.1 standard requires efficient and easy-to-understand lens and frame markings. These markings, listed below, make the selection process more straightforward and increase compliance.

• Z87+ is a high-velocity impact rating
• Z87 alone is the basic impact rating
• D3 indicates splash and droplet protection
• D4 indicates protection from dust particles
• D5 indicates protection from fine dust
• W plus a shade number shows the level of welding protection
• U plus a scale number shows the level of UV protection
• R plus a scale number shows the level of infrared light protection
• L plus a scale number shows the visible light filter
• Z87-2 on the front of the frame and both temples indicates prescription eyewear
• H indicates a product designed for smaller head sizes
• V indicates photochromic lenses
• S indicates a special lens tint
• X indicates eyewear has passed the fog test and can resist fogging

Rx Spectacle Ratings

• Manufacturer’s mark or logo on frame or lens
• + symbol on lenses indicates they’re impact rated
• Z87-2+ on the frame.
• Z87+ on detachable side shields if equipped

Prescription frames also require size markings on frames and temples, and all safety markings for ANSI Z87.1-2020 safety eyewear must be permanently and clearly marked on frames or lenses. This marking requirement includes goggles and face shields as well as safety glasses.

You may encounter safety eyewear with only Z87 or the manufacturer’s mark with a + stamped on the lens or frame. These products were produced before or just after the 2010 standard and are still safe to use. They still meet ANSI Z87.1 high-velocity impact safety standards, but they don’t have updated product marking requirements.

Eye protection is serious business. Almost every industry daily sees workers exposed to hazardous conditions able to cause serious eye injury. The proper safety eyewear based on the current ANSI Z87.1-2020 safety standards and combined with 100% compliance to a mandatory eye protection program helps ensure protection for workers across the globe.