The revised ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2025 standard aims to make eye and face protection easier to select, understand, and implement while reinforcing the role of hazard assessment in preventing workplace injuries.

• By Cam Mackey
• Aug 06, 2026

Every day across the United States, thousands of workers step onto job sites, factory floors, and into laboratories where eye and face hazards are part of the environment. Despite decades of progress in workplace safety, the reality remains stark: approximately 20,000 occupational eye injuries each year are serious enough to require medical attention. These incidents carry a heavy toll—not only in human impact, but also in economic cost, with an estimated $300 million annually in workers’ compensation, medical expenses, and lost productivity.

What makes this even more concerning and frustrating is that the vast majority of these injuries are preventable. With proper protective equipment and consistent use, up to 90 percent of eye injuries could be avoided. That statistic underscores both the opportunity and the responsibility facing safety professionals today.

It is in this context that the International Safety Equipment Association has released the updated ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2025, a critical advancement in the ongoing effort to protect workers from preventable harm. This latest revision reflects not only technical improvements but also a broader commitment to making eye and face protection more effective, accessible, and easier to implement across industries.

At its core, ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 has always been a performance-based standard. Rather than prescribing one-size-fits-all solutions, it establishes rigorous criteria for how protective devices must perform under specific hazard conditions. The 2025 update builds on that legacy while addressing a key challenge faced by employers and safety professionals: selecting the right protection for the right hazard.

One of the most significant enhancements in the updated standard is the introduction of clearer, more standardized product markings. In the past, interpreting markings on safety eyewear could be confusing, particularly for workers who are not deeply familiar with technical specifications. The revised marking system is designed to communicate hazard protection more intuitively, helping users quickly identify whether a product is appropriate for risks such as impact, splash, or radiation exposure. This improvement may seem incremental, but in practice, it can mean the difference between proper protection and preventable injury.

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2026 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.

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