ISEA, the International Safety Equipment Association, is a nonprofit organization that develops and publishes standards regarding the protection of workers from hazards and the mitigation of the effects of accidental exposure. Headquartered near Washington, D.C., United States, ISEA is a recognized leader both within the United States and around the world. With over 60 member companies and the adoption of ISEA standards by Congress and national safety agencies, ISEA standards are prevalent. ISEA also serves as the administrator for the U.S. TAG (United States Technical Advisory Group) to ISO/TC 224 (International Organization for Standardization/Technical Committee). ISEA has many standards that are applicable to construction safety, such as high visibility safety apparel, protective headwear, emergency eyewash and shower equipment, respiratory protective devices, personal eye and face protection devices and more. These standards are also widely used in industrial settings, hospitals, laboratories, and factories. You can find the full selection of ISEA standards below. ISEA began publishing a newsletter in 2000 called Protection Update. The main purpose of this newsletter is to build awareness of the importance of safety equipment. ISEA has one specific column in Protection Update called 'Safety Equipment Works for You' which contains real-life tales about people whose lives were saved or who avoided severe injuries by using different types of safety equipment. One specific story, written by Kevin Burgess, describes a situation in which an hard hat certified to ANSI Z89-1 saved his life. He told a story about how he was working on a boiler, on the first floor, when someone on the fifth floor dropped a 25-pound, eight-foot tube shield that struck him on top of his head, directly in the center of his hard hat. He was knocked unconscious for close to ten minutes. He mentioned that he would have died if he was not wearing that specific hard hat.
Below are ISEA's best-selling standards. To find additional standards, please use the search bar above.
This standard establishes minimum performance and use requirements for eyewash and shower equipment for the emergency treatment of the eyes or body of a person who has been exposed to hazardous materials. It covers the following types of equipment: emergency showers, eyewashes, eye/face washes, and combination units. This standard also includes performance and use requirements for personal wash units and drench hoses, which are considered supplemental to emergency eyewash and shower equipment.
This standard sets forth criteria related to the general requirements, testing, permanent marking, selection, care, and use of protectors to minimize the occurrence and severity or prevention of injuries from such hazards as impact, non-ionizing radiation and liquid splash exposures in occupational and educational environments including, but not limited to, machinery operations, material welding and cutting, chemical handling, and assembly operations. New content has been added to address anti-fog lens assessments, relaxed optics requirements and the standard has been updated to provide additional clarity to testing execution.
ANSI/ISEA Z308.1-2015 establishes minimum performance requirements for first aid kits and their supplies that are intended for use in various work environments. Classification of first aid kits, designating the assortment of items and quantity of each item, is based on the anticipated number of users intended to be served by each first aid kit, as well as the complexity of the work environment and level of hazards. First aid kit containers are classified by portability, ability to be mounted, resistance to water and corrosion and impact resistance.
This standard describes Types and Classes, testing and performance requirements for protective helmets. These include recommended safety requirements for authorities considering the establishment of regulations or codes concerning the use of protective helmets.
ANSI/ISEA 107-2020 sets forth criteria related to the general design requirements, testing and performance requirements and product labeling for high-visibility safety apparel used to enhance the presence of a wearer. Garments conforming to this standard are designated in terms of Type and Performance Class whereby the Type is based on the expected use setting and the Performance Class is identified based on the amount of visible materials and design attributes incorporated into the finished garment. Key updates include the specific criteria for a single-use high-visibility disposable coverall, which is often used in dirty working environments where worker visibility is imperative and introduction a garment’s overall nighttime luminance as an optional reporting characteristics. Updates have also been made to the tests methods in an effort to align more closely with other material tests and to reflect updated protocols.
ANSI/ISEA 105-2016 addresses the classification and testing of hand protection for specific performance properties related to chemical and industrial applications Hand protection includes gloves, mittens, partial gloves, or other items covering the hand or a portion of the hand that are intended to provide protection against or resistance to a specific hazard. This standard provides performance ranges for related to mechanical protection (cut-resistance, puncture resistance and abrasion resistance), chemical protection (permeation resistance, degradation) and other performance characteristics such as ignition resistance and vibration reductions based on standardized test methods. Descriptions of the test methods used in this standard are provided. Different levels of performance are specified for each property with zero (0) representing the minimal protection or none at all.
This standard establishes minimum design, performance, testing and labeling requirements for solutions that reduce dropped objects incidents in industrial and occupational settings. Dropped objects include hand tools, instrumentation, small parts, structural components and other items that have to be transferred and used at heights. These objects have the opportunity of becoming dropped objects potentially resulting in struck-by injury or fatality or damage to equipment. This standard focuses on preventative solutions actively used by workers to mitigate these hazards.
ANSI/ISEA Z358.1 / ANSI/ISEA Z308.1 - Workplace First Aid Kits and Eyewash Package provides performance requirements for various types and classes of first aid kits that are applicable to workplace injuries. ANSI/ISEA Z358.1 / ANSI/ISEA Z308.1 - Workplace First Aid Kits and Eyewash Package addresses major wounds, minor wounds (cuts and abrasions), minor burns, eye injuries, and is supported with emergency eyewash methods as well. ANSI/ISEA Z358.1 / ANSI/ISEA Z308.1 - Workplace First Aid Kits and Eyewash Package includes:
ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2014
ANSI/ISEA Z308.1-2015
ANSI/ISEA Z358.1 / ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 - Eyewash and Eye Protection Package provides safety methods for occupational emergency eyewashes, shower equipment, eye protection, and face protection devices. ANSI/ISEA Z358.1 / ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 - Eyewash and Eye Protection Package addresses applications for the selection, performance, testing, and maintenance of the equipment. ANSI/ISEA Z358.1 / ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 - Eyewash and Eye Protection Package includes:
ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2014
ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2020
This standard is intended for use by first responders and receiving medical facilities for the initial decontamination of victims of contamination and possible exposure. This standard addresses classification and testing criteria for fixed and portable showers designed for decontamination facilities. The standard establishes minimum performance requirements for equipment capable of decontaminating one or more persons at the same time.