AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS (ASSE)

AN ANSI ACCREDITED STANDARDS DEVELOPING ORGANIZATION

520 N. Northwest Highway  Park Ridge, IL 60068
847/699-2929 - Phone
847/296-9221 - Fax

September, 2016

To: Members, ASSE

ANSI/ASSE Standards Participants

From: ASSE Standards Secretariat Staff

ANSI/ASSE Standards Update

Companies and other organizations use national voluntary consensus

standards to establish good industry practices, enhance compliance with
OSHA standards, reference as the latest state-of-the-art practices and
technology. ASSE supports the increased use of consensus standards in the
formulation of legislation and regulation for occupational safety and health.
Governmental agencies, such as OSHA, CPSC, NHTSA, etc., should be
encouraged to use these consensus standards, as they provide an
efficient/effective alternative to traditional public sector rulemaking.

ASSE currently serves as secretariat for a number of ANSI accredited

Standards Committees (ASC’s). ASSE’s standards activities have had a long,
rich history dating back nearly 90 years. As secretariat for multiple standards
projects, ASSE organizes the committees that develop and maintain the
standard(s), ensures that the process of revision is timely and in accordance
with ANSI procedures, and publishes the final product of the consensus
process.

The purpose of the Standards Insider is to give ASSE members an update on

what is taking place with the development of occupational safety and health
national voluntary consensus standards and prepare for their use and
implementation.

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AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS (ASSE)
AN ANSI ACCREDITED STANDARDS DEVELOPING ORGANIZATION
520 N. Northwest Highway  Park Ridge, IL 60068
847/699-2929 - Phone
847/296-9221 - Fax

The Use of Voluntary National Consensus Standards by the ASSE

Standards Development Committee (ASSE-SDC)

The ASSE Standards Development Committee (SDC) is the lead entity for the
Society to participate globally in all aspects of standards development to
expand the body of knowledge to protect people, property and the
environment.

Use Standards to Achieve Excellence

How does one gain the knowledge, experience, and mastery of a subject to
become a recognized expert? Learning may begin in a university, with a single
course, or with a self-study course. Generally, there is a lot of time involved
with learning theory and technical details of a topic. Mastery of a subject
requires lots of time, additional work experience, and often being mentored
by others. Now, consider the numerous safety topics you have been exposed
to over your career and how much is forgotten over time, or how rapidly new
advances can render older ideas obsolete. How is it possible to maintain a
current high level of competency for a myriad of safety topics? What if you
are assigned a safety topic that is new for you or one you haven’t handled
recently? What is the quickest way to refresh your skills and experience the
benefits of benchmarking without leaving your desk? Use Consensus
Standards as a primary resource! Standards provide up-to-date, collaborative
guidance that can assist with the overall mastery of the topic. These guidance
documents broaden the insights of the user because they are based on diversity
of thought collected through collaboration of topic experts.

What is a Consensus Standard?

Consensus Standards are guidance documents developed by a committee
representing a broad cross-section of experts, industries, and organizations
including: professional societies, industry, insurance, consultants,
government agencies, and service organizations. Standards provide guidance
on how to achieve excellence for a particular safety topic. Standards, unlike
regulatory requirements, are not required by law. The rigorous approach for
creating a consensus standard is systematic and methodical, with the
American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) acting as Secretariat and the

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AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS (ASSE)
AN ANSI ACCREDITED STANDARDS DEVELOPING ORGANIZATION
520 N. Northwest Highway  Park Ridge, IL 60068
847/699-2929 - Phone
847/296-9221 - Fax

American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approving each ANSI/ASSE

Standard.

Why are Standards Important?

Standards go beyond regulatory requirements. While regulations often reflect
minimum requirements, Standards provide comprehensive guidance
necessary to achieve excellence. When discussing ANSI/ASSE Z117.1-2009
(R2016) for Confined Spaces, Terry Krug, Standards Committee Chair states
the standard “is of critical importance to get it right to ensure safe practices
and protect workers.” For some Standards such as Z15.1-2012 Safe Practices
for Motor Vehicle Operations, regulations do not exist. Bill Hinderks, Z15.1
Chair states “Better management of vehicle operations will lead to results.”
Standards are reviewed and accepted as written, revised, or rescinded every
five years.

How Does the Public Sector Use Our ANSI/ASSE Standards? This is
perhaps the most common question asked by OSH professionals about the use
of voluntary national consensus standards. We think the articles listed below
should assist you:

Safeguarding: Are ANSI Standards Really Voluntary?

Position Statement on Consensus Standards

What’s the Difference Between an OSHA Rule and an ANSI Standard?

To master the highest level of knowledge and expertise for a safety subject,
seek guidance from the current Consensus Standard. Read the different
“Tech Briefs” to identify the appropriate Standard to meet the current
requirements of the job. For additional information, visit:
http://www.asse.org/standards/.

ANSI/ASSE Technical Committee Updates

Safety Requirements for Construction and Demolition Operations, A10

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AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS (ASSE)
AN ANSI ACCREDITED STANDARDS DEVELOPING ORGANIZATION
520 N. Northwest Highway  Park Ridge, IL 60068
847/699-2929 - Phone
847/296-9221 - Fax

The ANSI/ASSE A10 ASC has a whole series of new, revised, and reaffirmed
standards coming forth that should be of significant interest to OSH
professionals. Some of the newly approved standards include:

ANSI/ASSE A10.43-2016 Confined Space Entry for

Construction and Demolition Operations (new
standard); Approval Date of Final Action: 8/4/2016;
Standards Action Publication Date: 8/12/2016

Scope: This standard sets forth the minimum elements

and activities of a program that defines the duties and responsibilities of
construction employers to be followed while entering, exiting and working in
confined spaces at normal atmospheric pressure.

An extensive article was published by ASSE in May and should be of interest

to OSH professionals dealing with confined space hazards and exposures.

ANSI/ASSE A10.48-2016 Criteria for Safety Practices with the

Construction, Demolition, and Maintenance of Communication Structures
(new standard); Approval Date of Final Action: 8/3/2016; Standards Action
Publication Date: 8/12/2016

The newly approved ANSI/ASSE A10.48 is now final, and ASSE will now
move to publish the standard. This is great news since the A10.48 Subgroup
has put in a tremendous amount of work with the support of the full A10
Committee.

Scope: This standard establishes minimum criteria for safe work practices and
training for personnel performing work on communication structures
including antenna and antenna supporting structures, broadcast and other
similar structures supporting communication related equipment.

There is an article in the July A10 Standards Update. The National

Association of Tower Erectors has also already released a statement
supporting the standard.

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AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS (ASSE)
AN ANSI ACCREDITED STANDARDS DEVELOPING ORGANIZATION
520 N. Northwest Highway  Park Ridge, IL 60068
847/699-2929 - Phone
847/296-9221 - Fax

Finally, we have had a lot of questions about the ANSI/ASSE A10.34

Standard and how it is recognized in both the private and public sectors.
Recently, there was a request for examples of such recognition due to a
discussion on whether or not the standard should be included in a contract
specification for a large railroad construction project. Due to these requests
and an increased number of member inquiries, we are providing an
update/article on the standard, its current status, and examples of current
recognition.

Protection of Floor and Wall Openings, ANSI/ASSE A1264 ASC

A1264.1-2007 Safety Requirements for Workplace Walking/Working

Surfaces & Their Access

Update: The standard is currently in a state of revision. The standard has been
balloted and the comment resolution process is currently taking place. There
will be a committee held to address the final comment and to try and resolve
objections. We do not have any estimate on the final revision, but there will
be an update on the standard is we get closer in the revision process.

This standard is widely used and recognized in both the private and public
sectors. We expect the new revision to be fairly significant in regards to
changes and expect the private and public sector to actively use the standard.

Ventilation Systems, Z9

The Z9.1 standard has recently been approved for publication by ANSI. This
standard was transferred from AIHA to ASSE in 2012, and the subcommittee
was able to finish updating it in May of this year. The published document is
expected to be available in by late 3Q16.

This standard establishes minimum control requirements and ventilation

system design criteria for controlling and removing air contaminants to
protect the health of personnel engaged in open-surface tank operations.

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AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS (ASSE)
AN ANSI ACCREDITED STANDARDS DEVELOPING ORGANIZATION
520 N. Northwest Highway  Park Ridge, IL 60068
847/699-2929 - Phone
847/296-9221 - Fax

The standard was last published in 2006, so much of the work focused on
incorporating successful current practice in the control of health hazards
resulting from open-surface tank operations and updating the references
throughout the standard.

Safety Management, Z10

In May, ASSE made a call for materials from the Management Practice
Specialty showing how the Z10 Standard has been implemented on worksites.
This is something we are really looking for in regards to Z10 implementation
examples/stories and case studies. If you should have any examples of such
recognition, please send them to Tim Fisher via the Z10 Secretariat at
TFisher@ASSE.Org.

Finally, we have continued to receive numerous inquiries about the future of

Z10 in light of the proposed ISO 45001 OHSMS Project. The United States
TAG (Technical Advisory Group) has continued to identify the ANSI/ASSE
Z10 Standard as one of the critical standards to be considered and referenced
in the proposed ISO 45001 Standard. This was also one of the key positions
raised by ASSE during the initial discussions and debates leading to the
launching of this development effort. This position was verified during a
number of meetings, and we will include some additional information about
Z10 to advocate for more inclusion of Z10 language in the proposed ISO
45001 Standard.

Respiratory Protection, Z88

The Z88 standards were transferred from AIHA to ASSE in 2012. These
standards define the minimum requirements for respiratory protection.

The revised version of Z88.2 was published in 2015. According to James S.

Johnson, the Chair of the ANSI/ASSE Z88 Committee this new standard sets
the pace for the respirator program for the next decade. It incorporates
regulatory and national standards changes that have occurred in the workplace
during the past 23 years, and serves as the umbrella for the other standards the
committee is currently working on.

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AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS (ASSE)
AN ANSI ACCREDITED STANDARDS DEVELOPING ORGANIZATION
520 N. Northwest Highway  Park Ridge, IL 60068
847/699-2929 - Phone
847/296-9221 - Fax

As such, several subcommittees have been created to work on revising

existing standards of creating new standards:

Z88.6 (Revision): Respiratory Protection Use - Physical Qualifications for

Personnel

ANSI/ASSE Z88.10 (Revision): Respirator Fit Test Methods

ANSI/ASSE Z88.15 (New): Respirator fit capability test for half-mask air-
purifying particulate respirators

ANSI/ASSE Z88.16 (New): Assigned Protection Factors (APFs) for

Respirators

Z88.17 Respirator Protection (New): Terms, definitions, graphical symbols

and units of measurement

The Z88.15 work is particularly significant because it is the first time NIOSH
contacted ASSE expressing an interest in collaborating with us to prepare a
national consensus standard establishing a respirator fit capability test for
half-mask air-purifying particulate respirators.

All the subcommittees are still in the early phase of beginning their work, so
the expectation is that the results will be available in 18 – 32 months.

Motor Vehicle Safety, Z15

The Z15.1 standard was last revised in 2012, so the committee has created a
task group to begin the revisions before the five-year expiration deadline. The
task group has been focusing on updating various sections to reflect changes
in technology as well as ensuring consistent use of terminology throughout
the document.

The draft is currently being prepared for ballot by the main committee, with
the expectation that the updated version will be published in 1Q17.

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AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS (ASSE)
AN ANSI ACCREDITED STANDARDS DEVELOPING ORGANIZATION
520 N. Northwest Highway  Park Ridge, IL 60068
847/699-2929 - Phone
847/296-9221 - Fax

In addition, the Z15.3 subcommittee has been formed to work on a technical

report defining safe practices for motor vehicle operations of autonomous
vehicles on public thoroughfares.

The movement to roll out autonomous vehicles has intensified in recent years
with several major technology and automotive companies investing heavily
in this technology. Guideline regulations to allow the testing of autonomous
vehicles in traffic have already been established in other countries.

Although this technology is new, we are fortunate that the National Safety
Consul agreed to chair the subcommittee. This brings both credibility and
provides access to the necessary subject-matter expertise needed to complete
the work. The recruitment process has recently began, but it’s too early to
determine when the report will be completed.

Confined Spaces, Z117

We received notification from ANSI that our two ANSI/ASSE Confined

Spaces standards have been approved. The approved standards include the
revised ANSI/ASSE Z117.1 addressing confined spaces overall and the newly
created ANSI/ASSE A10.43 standard addressing construction and demolition
operations. Confined spaces is always a huge issue for OSH professionals,
and Z117.1 has historically been of significance. A10.43 is expected to have
positive impact on construction and demolition operations.

ANSI ASSE Z117.1-2016 Safety Requirements for Entering Confined Spaces

(revision of ANSI ASSE Z117.1-2009); Approval Date of Final Action:
8/4/2016; Standards Action Publication Date: 8/12/2016.

ASSE will now move forward to publish the standard, and OSH professionals
will see that document sometime during Fall 2016. ASSE wrote an extensive
article about the revision during April 2016:

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AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS (ASSE)
AN ANSI ACCREDITED STANDARDS DEVELOPING ORGANIZATION
520 N. Northwest Highway  Park Ridge, IL 60068
847/699-2929 - Phone
847/296-9221 - Fax

Control of Hazardous Energy – Lockout/Tagout and Alternative

Methods, Z244.

The revision of this standard continues to move forward, and we are looking
for a final approval hopefully sometime during the latter part of 2016.

Z244 member Todd Grover wrote a detailed article on the current revision,
which should interest OSH professionals working with LOTO-related hazards
and exposures.

The Society also wrote an article about the revision and included it as part of
its Standards Snippets during April 2016.

Fall Protection, Z359

The ANSI/ASSE Z359 Committee continues to move forward with a

complete revision of the historic Z359.1 standard. The revision of the
ANSI/ASSE Z359.1 standard is at ANSI right now, and we are awaiting final
administrative review/approval. The Z359.1 standard is fundamentally
changing from the structure you have seen in the past, with the most recent
version published in 2007.

Scope from the pending revised standard: “The Fall Protection Code is a set
of standards that covers program management; system design; training;
qualification and testing; equipment, component and system specifications for
the processes used to protect workers at height in a managed fall protection
program. This standard identifies those standards and establishes their role in
the Code and their interdependence.”

Historic scope, which is changing: “This standard establishes requirements

for the performance, design, marking, qualification, instruction, training,
inspection, use, maintenance, and removal from service of connectors, full
body harnesses, lanyards, energy absorbers, anchorage connectors, fall
arresters, vertical lifelines, and self-retracting lanyards comprising personal
fall arrest systems for users within the capacity range of 130 to 310 pounds
(59 to 140 kg).”

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AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS (ASSE)
AN ANSI ACCREDITED STANDARDS DEVELOPING ORGANIZATION
520 N. Northwest Highway  Park Ridge, IL 60068
847/699-2929 - Phone
847/296-9221 - Fax

Recognition and use of ANSI/ASSE Z359.2 Minimum Requirements for a

Managed Fall Protection Program also continues to grow. We saw the recent
example from a large company requiring the use of the standard as listed in
one of their work agreements:

Notwithstanding any other requirements identified in this document,

training will be sufficient to qualify the trainees to meet the requirements
in the following regulations and standards.

1. Safety and Health Requirements manual, USACE EM 385-1-1, edition

30 November 2014. 2. ANSI/ASSE Z359 Fall Protection Code, more
specifically:

a. ANSI/ASSE Z359.2, Minimum Requirements for a Comprehensive

Managed Fall Protection program.

b. ANSI/ASSE Z490.1, Criteria for Accepted Practices in Safety, Health

and Environmental Training.

The USACE EM 385-1-1 manual requires that all personnel involved in

fall-protection be trained as described in ANSI/ASSE Z359.2.

ANSI/ASSE Z359.2 requires a fall-protection training guide, and

resultant training, that will follow the requirements of ANSI/ASSE
Z490.1.

Safety, Health and Environmental Training, Z490

Interest is growing from OSH professionals and the OSH

profession in this revised standard. This document is widely
used and recognized in a variety of industries and in both the
public and private sectors in regards to safety training. The
revision of the ANSI/ASSE Z490.1 was approved by ANSI
on December 7, 2015 and was published during Spring 2016.
The ANSI/ASSE Z490.1-2016 standard applies to a broad range of training

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AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS (ASSE)
AN ANSI ACCREDITED STANDARDS DEVELOPING ORGANIZATION
520 N. Northwest Highway  Park Ridge, IL 60068
847/699-2929 - Phone
847/296-9221 - Fax

and training programs and specifies how to adequately design, develop,

deliver and evaluate training.

Z490.1 continues to be cited in public and private sector contracts and work
agreements. The standard was recently required in a large scale construction
project, and the reference is listed in this report in the Z359 section.

Hydrogen Sulfide Training

The revision of ANSI/ASSE Z390.1-2006 (R2010) Accepted Practices for

Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) Training Programs continues to move forward. The
revision of the standard will be extensive, and potential users of the standard
can look forward to a new version of the standard sometime during 2017.

ASSE was recently apprised by ANSI staff that an estimated 200,000-300,000

workers in the Middle East are trained against the Z390.1 standard each year.

Competence and Certification in the Safety Profession, Z590

ANSI/ASSE Z590.3-2011 (R2016) Prevention through

Design Guidelines for Addressing Occupational Hazards
and Risks in Design and Redesign Processes

Interest is growing in Prevention through Design (PtD).

The goal is to integrate design and engineering concepts to
move high-caliber occupational safety and health management forward. There
is no question that this concept is growing in importance with the OSH
profession and ASSE members overall. It is safer and more cost effective to
implement safety before structures or processes are built. Companies which
have incorporated safety into the design process have shown that costs are
lowered, task performance is improved and life-threatening work hazards are
reduced.

This standard provides guidance on including prevention through design

concepts within an occupational safety and health management system.
Through the application of these concepts, decisions pertaining to

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AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS (ASSE)
AN ANSI ACCREDITED STANDARDS DEVELOPING ORGANIZATION
520 N. Northwest Highway  Park Ridge, IL 60068
847/699-2929 - Phone
847/296-9221 - Fax

occupational hazards and risks can be incorporated into the process of design
and redesign of work premises, tools, equipment, machinery, substances and
work processes, including their construction, manufacture, use, maintenance
and ultimate disposal or reuse. This standard provides guidance for a lifecycle
assessment and design model that balances environmental and occupational
safety and health goals over the lifespan of a facility, process or product. It
complements but does not replace performance objectives existing in other
specific standards and procedures.

The goals of applying prevention through design concepts in an occupational

setting are to:

 Achieve acceptable risk levels

 Prevent or reduce occupationally related injuries, illnesses and fatalities
 Reduce the cost of retrofitting necessary to mitigate hazards and risks
that were not sufficiently addressed in the design or redesign processes

This standard was developed to provide consistent procedures for addressing

occupational hazards and risks in the design and redesign processes and to
replace the Technical Report originally published by ASSE.

Global Standards Update

Proposed ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems

(OHSMS): Requirements with Guidance for Use: ASSE is the TAG
Administrator to ANSI for this project (Technical Advisory Group).

ISO released a presentation in June giving a status/update on the project and

current progress. In addition, ASSE has created an ISO 45001 website that
ASSE members should review in order to get timely updates on the proposed
standard.

The ISO/ANSI/ASSE Risk Management and Risk Assessment Standards

Used globally and domestically by those engaged in managing and assessing

risks, these standards can be applied throughout the life of an organization and

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AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS (ASSE)
AN ANSI ACCREDITED STANDARDS DEVELOPING ORGANIZATION
520 N. Northwest Highway  Park Ridge, IL 60068
847/699-2929 - Phone
847/296-9221 - Fax

to a wide range of activities, including strategies and decisions, operations,

processes, functions, projects, products, services and assets.

The ISO 31000 standard is currently being revised by the TC 262 committee,
and the US TAG has been active in providing comments to the latest version
of the committee draft (CD3).

The last CD received over 1,000 comments from 28 countries, so the final
version of the standard is not expected for at least another year.

ASSE Technical Publications

Remember that many of the ANSI/ASSE Standards are also supported and
complemented by our numerous ASSE technical publications. ASSE carries
books, CDs, and e-books about accident investigation and prevention,
construction, exam prep, fall protection, hazards and hazardous materials,
business and management, safety engineering, and more. You can find a
complete catalog here.

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