Welcome
NOCSAE’s Board of Directors welcomes and encourages all interested parties to attend our Standards Committee meetings. All Standards Committee meetings are open to the public to ensure we receive data and input from anyone interested in the standards being discussed and considered, and to promote transparency.
What to Expect
Meetings are held twice each year, in the winter and summer. The NOCSAE Standards Committee will discuss Modifications to athletic equipment safety standards and take action on recommended Revisions to standards. The chair of NOCSAE’s Scientific Advisory Committee as well as the Technical Director present reports.
Related Information
Winter Meeting
February 7, 2025 — Litchfield Park, AZ
Summer Meeting
July 25, 2025 — Kansas City
Advance Comments
For the upcoming meeting, if you have questions or comments related to agenda items, we request that you submit these in advance to Executive Director Mike Oliver. This helps us keep the meetings on schedule.
NOCSAE encourages all interested parties to submit comments, suggestions, objections or other responses to any standard under consideration or on any other standards maintained by NOCSAE, even those that are not on the agenda for a particular meeting.
About the Standards Committee
The NOCSAE Standards Committee is composed of NOCSAE’s board of directors, research director, and technical director. It is the ANSI-recognized consensus body which represents all interests that may be materially affected by NOCSAE standards.
Balance of Interests
National organizations select members to represent their interests on the Standards Committee. These interests fall into three American National Standards Institute (ANSI) categories. In order to maintain balance among the interests represented and to prevent control of the committee by any group or interest, some organizations have one seat and some have two.
Technical, Scientific, and Medical
Sports Medicine and Related Scientific Research Interests
Users and Consumers
End-Users and Groups with Direct Athlete Involvement
Producers
Product and Manufacturing Interests
We believe athletes sustain fewer injuries when these practices are followed:
- manufacturers pursue certification for new equipment, which includes establishing effective QC/QA programs;
- sport governing bodies mandate use of equipment that meets NOCSAE standards;
- consumers send their headgear to NOCSAE-licensed recertifiers for reconditioning and recertification;
- all laboratories that perform NOCSAE testing participate in ongoing round-robin system verification.
Quick Read: Committee Actions
Modifications to a Standard
Modifications to standards documents are editorial changes and do not need committee approval. Their purpose is usually for clarification.
Revisions to a Standard
Revisions to standards documents require action by the Standards Committee. Revisions are changes to standards that alter a critical test or performance parameter.
Reaffirm, Withdraw, or Revise
Standards that have been in effect for 4 years without a revision or modification require action by the Standards Committee to reaffirm, withdraw, or revise.
Effective Dates
The primary purpose for setting an effective date is to specify when a licensee’s products must be in compliance with a revised version of a standard.