Members of the ASTM F-08.53 Subcommittee include all of the major helmet manufacturers in the U.S. and Canada, some other foreign manufacturers, academics, researchers, government agencies, testing labs, and a handful of consumer advocates. BHSI is the most active consumer organization. The chair of the Subcommittee is David Halstead, of the University of Tennessee and Southern Impact test labs. BHSI's Randy Swart is First VP, and second VP is Dennis Piper of Troxel Sports and Fitness. Meetings are scheduled every six months, during which the committee holds various technical and administrative meetings over a three day period.
Observers are always welcome at any of the meetings.
Check our ASTM page for the latest Subcommittee actions. The Safety Equipment Institute, a non-profit that certifies various types of safety equipment to industry standards, has developed a program to certify bicycle helmets to the ASTM or CPSC standards. But the emphasis on quality control is potentially more effective in ensuring that sub-standard production runs never reach retail outlets, where recalls are generally either not undertaken or ineffective in reaching the consumer. In 1996 SEI's program was formally accredited by ANSI, attesting to SEI's compliance with ten international guides on testing, inspection and certification. We conclude that on balance under most circumstances the SEI program is roughly equivalent to Snell's certification described below.