For a number of years now, we have been adhering to the EN207 laser eyewear safety standard, across Europe. This standard dictates the safety requirements for a wide range of laser safety eyewear.
However, in 2021 a new standard was introduced, the EN ISO 19818-1 (Eye and Face Protection, Protection against Laser Radiation, part 1). This new standard supersedes the previous EN207 standard and is a more ISO-aligned standard. It has been adopted in Europe and Canada and will replace the original EN207 standard.
There is currently a transition period between these two standards. So both standards currently apply across Europe and Canada, but eventually the new 19818 standard will be the legally required standard.
What this means is that laser safety eyewear manufacturers can make their safety eyewear according to either standard and remain valid and legal. At some point, once the transition period is completed, the original EN 207 standard will be officially withdrawn. At that point, all laser safety eyewear must comply with the new 19818 standard.
This is important because these standards are designed to ensure our safety. Any laser safety eyewear which does not comply with these standards cannot be legally used in Europe or Canada. If you have an incident or an accident which involves the safety eyewear and your eyewear is not legal, then your insurance will not be valid.
I wrote an article about safety eyewear last year. Here is the link.
Hope this helps,
Mike.
Mike Murphy's Blog 