The Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM) has joined a coalition of national safety and occupational health organizations in submitting a formal petition to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requesting expedited updates to several critical Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) standards incorporated into federal workplace safety regulations.
The letter, submitted under the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act, urges OSHA to update regulatory references for three widely used consensus standards: eye and face protection (ANSI/ISEA Z87.1), industrial head protection (ANSI/ISEA Z89.1), and workplace first aid kits (ANSI/ISEA Z308.1). Many of the standards currently referenced in OSHA regulations date back decades—some as early as 1989—despite substantial technological and safety improvements in newer editions.
Read the Coalition letter here
The coalition’s message is straightforward: modernize OSHA’s incorporated standards so workers can benefit from the latest advances in protective equipment and emergency preparedness. Updated standards include stronger impact testing for protective eyewear, improved helmet performance requirements such as anti-roll-off testing and chin-strap performance, and more comprehensive workplace first-aid guidance—including provisions that acknowledge modern hazards such as opioid overdose response.
Importantly, the petition emphasizes that updating these references would not impose new regulatory costs on employers. Rather, it would align OSHA regulations with safety practices already widely adopted across industry, providing employers greater flexibility while ensuring workers receive the most effective protection available.
By signing this petition, IHMM and its partner organizations seek to ensure that OSHA regulations reflect current science, modern equipment design, and real-world workplace hazards—ultimately strengthening protection for more than 100 million American workers who rely on PPE every day.
