The International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) recently released ANSI/ISEA Z89.1-2026 — the updated American National Standard for Industrial Head Protection, approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) — to address modern job site risks and help reduce serious injuries, including traumatic brain injuries.
In the last year, head injuries accounted for nearly 700 worker fatalities, ISEA said.
The 2026 revision does not replace existing requirements or make current compliant head protection obsolete. ANSI/ISEA Z89.1 is referenced in OSHA regulations and remains the primary benchmark for industrial head protection.
ANSI/ISEA Z89.1-2026 maintains familiar Type and Class classifications, with Type I and II designations addressing impact and penetration protection and Class designations addressing electrical protection performance.
"This update is important because it helps everyone speak the same language — manufacturers, safety teams, and workers in the field," said Tim Gallant, Chair of the ISEA Head Protection Product Group and Vice President of Product at Ergodyne. "ANSI/ISEA Z89.1-2026 keeps the trusted foundation in place, but it also adds new optional testing criteria that reflect what safety professionals are asking for and what workers are relying on every day."
| Your local Gomaco dealer |
|---|
| Gomaco -Contact For a Dealer Near You |
Key updates include:
- New designation: "+" indicates enhanced performance, identifying head protection tested beyond the base standard for retention, chin strap performance, and (for Type I+) multi-directional impact protection.
- Enhanced tests tied to the "+" marking: In both Type I+ and Type II+, the chin strap keeps head protection secured during impact/falls and the helmet stays properly positioned during slips/trips. For Type I+, multi-point impact protection includes front, rear, and side.
- Guidance for reverse wearing: Adds new checks for "+" head protection to ensure it stays securely on the head when worn in reverse.
- Environmental/visibility markings: Maintains HT (high temperature) and LT (low temperature) markings, and updates "High Visibility (HV)" to "Enhanced Visibility (EV)" to reflect that head protection falls outside the ANSI/ISEA 107 standard for high-visibility apparel. No change to visibility performance.
These updates standardize features already widely available in head protection, ISEA said, making it easier for safety professionals to evaluate options and match protection to specific job site hazards.
"Safety teams are seeing more head protection options than ever before, and workers deserve confidence in what those markings mean," said Stacey Simmons, Vice Chair of the ISEA Head Protection Product Group and Strategic Account Executive at Bullard. "This revision helps make head protection selection more straightforward by defining consistent test methods for features many employers are already looking for."
ISEA emphasized that head protection should always be selected based on actual job site hazards. While enhanced options such as Type I+ and Type II+ provide additional protection, not every job requires the same approach.
| Your local Bobcat dealer |
|---|
| Ditch Witch West |
"ANSI/ISEA Z89.1-2026 helps safety professionals make more informed decisions by adding clarity and consistency to features they're already evaluating," said Cam Mackey, ISEA’s President and CEO.
