Product Code: ILSC2011_404

An International Standard for Laser Eye Protection
Authors:
Roy Henderson, Bioptica; Cambridge Great Britain
Presented at ILSC 2011

Global standards covering the safety requirements for laser products and equipment have been in existence for many years (principally the IEC 60825 series of standards), Laser eye protection, however, is subject to differing technical requirements in different parts of the world. The US has recently introduced ANSI Z136.7 covering the testing and labeling of laser protective equipment while in Europe the two laser eyewear standards EN 207 and EN 208 have been in force for a considerable time. European requirements for testing and marking laser protection differ in fundamental ways from the practices adopted elsewhere, and so manufacturers of laser eye protection have needed to separately address these different market sectors. With the aim of establishing a uniform set of requirements, an ISO committee has been working on the development of an international standard for laser eye protection. This forms part of a wider initiative to develop a suite of ISO standards covering many types of eye and face PPE. Progress with the laser requirements has been slower than we might have wished, primarily due to the difficulties in accommodating different national perceptions as to what the standard should contain. Reconciling these various views has proved challenging, as our aim has been to establish an international standard that will achieve wide acceptance. This paper will present an overview of the proposed new eyewear standard, and will discuss the current status of its development.