Z136 Standards
The Z136 series of American National Standards are voluntary consensus standards, with the scope of protecting against hazards associated with the use of lasers and optically radiating diodes.
"A voluntary consensus standard is a type of standard developed or adopted by voluntary consensus standards bodies through the use of a development process characterized by openness, balance, due process, consensus, and the right to appeals (see OMB Circular A-119)."
The Z136 standards are developed in accordance with the ANSI-Accredited Procedures for the Development of Z136 American National Standards, which meet the requirements for due process and development of consensus for approval of American National Standards as given in Clause 1 of the ANSI Essential Requirements: Due process requirements for American National Standards.
Z136 Standards Committee
The Z136 Standards Committee (Z136 SDC) is a group of stakeholders consisting of the directly affected public, members of industry, and manufacturers. A full list of interest categories can be found in our Procedures. Membership on the Committee is subject to a majority vote of the current membership and requires active participation. Members of the Consensus Body Balloting Groups (CBBG) that vote on the approval/disapproval of final drafts of Z136 standards are pulled from this Committee. A new CBBG is formed each time a standards draft has been approved by its subcommittee and is ready to be voted on for approval. For a copy of the roster (excluding contact information), contact the secretariat.
Z136 Subcommittees
Subcommittee membership is independent of membership on the Z136 SDC. Membership on a subcommittee is at the discretion of the subcommittee chair. All subcommittee chairs are required to be members of the Z136 SDC. Standards Subcommittees (SSC) draft and revise the content of specific standards and vote on early drafts. Technical Subcommittees (TSC) help develop content on specific topic areas across all Z136 standards; they help maintain technical consistency. After an SSC votes to approve an early draft of their standards, that draft is reviewed by our Editorial Working Group (EWG), a subcommittee of volunteers that review for editorial consistency and errors. These subcommittees work together to build the final draft of a document that is reviewed and approved by the Z136 SDC CBBG.
LIA
LIA is considered the ANSI-Accredited Standards Developer (ASD) for Z136 standards. In addition to its role with ANSI as ASD, it is the secretariat to the Z136 SDC and the publisher and copyright holder of the Z136 standards. Questions regarding copyright and sales should be directed to LIA. To learn more about LIA, visit www.lia.org.