Safety eyewear requirements of United States and Europe

Abstract

Lasers have gone from a tool in the research area looking for an application to a necessity in the industrial workplace. Power levels continue to rise as new applications are developed. This poses increased risk of potential injury to the worker and a need for training on all forms of laser safety including the proper selection of personal protective equipment (PPE). With lasers, the single most important PPE is laser eyewear, however choosing the appropriate eyewear is often confusing and time consuming, This paper will attempt to simplify this process according to both the US standards (ANSI Z136.1) and the new European Norm 207.