Welding screens and curtains part 2: Conformity of existing welding curtain products with ISO 25980:2023 Health and Safety in Welding and Allied Processes—Transparent Welding Curtains, Strips and Screens for Arc Welding Processes and other welding cu

Transparent welding curtains are widely used in industry to protect workers in the less immediate vicinity of welding. These welding curtains are the subject of an international standard as well as some national standards. A revised edition of ISO 25980:2014 Health and Safety in Welding and Allied Processes—Transparent Welding Curtains, Strips and Screens for Arc Welding Processes was published as ISO 25980:2023. ISO 25980:2023 has been adopted in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, but the US and Japanese standards continue. The new requirements affect the continuing conformity of existing welding curtains in use and in production. The revisions significantly changed the test methods and performance requirements. Maximum-effective UV transmittance and maximum blue-light transmittance (both calculated according to the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection methods) replaced maximum spectral transmittance in the UVA and UVB regions and a maximum value of a measure of “hazard level.” This now means that the requirements are based on a sound hazard analysis of the optical radiation hazards from welding. A grade based on luminous transmittance values calculated using Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage Internationale Beleuchtungskommission (CIE, International Commission on Illumination, Austria) Standard Illuminant D65 (defined in ISO/CIE 11664-2:2022—Colorimetry—Part 2) was introduced. This study was carried out to advise safety professionals, users, and manufacturers of the likely consequences of the changes and the appropriateness of existing curtains in use and in current production, as well as the relationship with existing standards. Of the 27 samples measured, 21 passed ISO 25890:2023. Only four samples passed ISO 25980:2014 (or 10 depending on an alternative interpretation of one requirement). All the curtains failing ISO 25980:2023 also failed ISO 25980:2014. ISO 25980:2023 also proved to be less stringent than the US and Japanese standards as well as the former Australian/New Zealand standard. The changes in ISO 25980:2023 have permitted lighter shades of welding curtains to conform to an international standard without compromising the safety of workers.