April 2024 Regulatory Update

Test requirements for personal protective equipment (PPE) eyewear products in accordance with EN 166 for safety goggles & welding goggles, EN 174 for ski goggles and EN 1731 for mesh goggles have been published for more than 20 years. Instead of an update on the test requirements and test methods from existing test standards, a series of new test standards were published between 2020 and 2021. Compared with the test standards that are going to be withdrawn on 11 November 2024, more test requirements are listed in these newer test standards.

Also of note, there was an additional test standard created and published, ISO 18527-2, which is for eye and face protection specifically for squash, racquetball, and squash 57 activities, to better address eye related safety for these active sports.

A summary directly drawn from the European Union (EU) harmonized standards is shown in the Appendix for more details.

All eyewear manufacturers should now be familiar with these requirements and should be manufacturing their products to comply with these international standards. These international standards are intended to align national and regional standards to a common set of requirements.

Summary of references of harmonized standards published in the Official Journal – Regulation (EU) 2016/4251 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on personal protective equipment and repealing Council Directive 89/686/EEC.

On 29 February 2024, the REACH committee meeting of the European Commission saw the EU Member States vote in favor of limiting undecafluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), its salts and related substances. Originally put forth by the German authorities in 2020, the proposal was subsequently endorsed by the scientific committees of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in late 2021.

The European Parliament and the Council will review this draft regulation for three months prior to its adoption by the Commission.

Highlights of the draft regulation for PFHxA are summarized below.

Manufacturers/distributors of products that fall under the scope of the listed restricted product categories should review the material content of their products to anticipate any necessary changes to ensure compliance should the regulation be adopted.

*Other Hazards include Strangulation Hazard, Damage to Sight, Safety Risk Hazard, Entrapment Hazard, Health Risk Hazard, Suffocation Hazard, Microbiological Hazard and Asphyxiation Hazard with a frequency of less than 11.

*Other Categories include Sporting Goods / Equipment, Machinery, Outdoor Living Items, Protective Equipment, Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile, Household Items, Stationery and Footwear with a frequency of less than 6.

*Other Countries include Bulgaria, Lithuania, Estonia, The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Slovakia, Spain, Latvia, Malta and Croatia with a frequency of less than 10.

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On 28 March 2024, House Bill 1551 was signed into law by the governor of Washington State. This law effectively targets a reduction of lead in cookware and re-enacts and amends RCW 43.21B.110 (pollution control hearings board jurisdiction) and RCW 43.21B.300 (penalty procedures), adding a new chapter to Title 70A RCW (Environmental Health and Safety).

Highlights are listed below:

• Restricts the manufacture, distribution, and sale of cookware containing lead at a level exceeding 5 parts per million (ppm) in the cookware or any component of the cookware. The restriction is effective from 01 January 2026.
• Authorizes the Department of Ecology (Ecology), after December 2034, in consultation with the Department of Health, to lower the 5 ppm limit if determined to be feasible for manufacturers to achieve and necessary to protect human health.
• Authorizes Ecology to adopt rules and prescribes penalties for violations of up to $5,000 for an initial violation and $10,000 for subsequent violations.

¹Cookware means any metal bakeware, pans, pots, rice cookers, pressure cookers and other containers and devices intended for the preparation or storage of food
²Component includes separate and distinct parts of the cookware, including, but not limited to, accessories such as fasteners, handles and handle assemblies, knobs, lids, rivets, valves and vent pipes

Manufacturers and distributors of cookware / cookware components should begin advance preparations, as needed, to ensure compliance with this requirement.

*Other Hazards include Health Risk Hazard, Risk of Allergy, Electric Shock Hazard, Poisoning Hazard and Tip-Over Hazard with a frequency of less than 2.

*Other Categories include Household Items, Outdoor Living Items and Chemicals with a frequency of less than 2.

For a complete list click here

*Other Hazards include Chemical Hazard, Laceration Hazard, Injury Hazard, Fall Hazard and Strangulation Hazard with a frequency of less than 2.

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*Other Hazards include Risk of Allergy, Fire Hazard, Damage to Hearing, Drowning Hazard, Laceration Hazard, Suffocation Hazard and Damage to Sight with a frequency of less than 8.

*Other Categories include Accessories, Medical Devices, Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile, Home Electrical Appliances, Machinery and Computer / Audio / Video / Other Electronics & Accessories with a frequency of less than 3.

For a complete list click here

*Other Hazards include Entanglement Hazard, Fall Hazard, Swallowing Risk, Microbiological Hazard, Damage to Sight, Ingestion Hazard, Health Risk Hazard, Risk of Allergy, Choking Hazard, Laceration Hazard, Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Hazard and Strangulation Hazard with a frequency of less than 3.

*Other Categories include Chemicals, Electrical Appliances, Stationery, Furniture and Protective Equipment with a frequency of less than 4.

*Other Provinces include Hunan, Fujian, Henan, Jiangsu and Inner Mongolia with a frequency of less than 3.

For a complete list click here