Bob Wells

From domestic DIY environments, right through to heavy industries and fire fighting applications, PPE is vital for safety. To meet legislation requirements in the EU, PPE manufacturers must ensure their products conform to the relevant National, European or International Standard or to a Technical Specification and are CE marked to the PPE Directive 89/686/EEC, a fundamental piece of European legislation relating to occupational safety throughout Europe.

The PPE Directive is now over 20 years old and in order to reflect current technologies and processes for developing and bringing PPE to the market, it is being updated. The changes mean that the old Directive will now be re-implemented as a Regulation rather than remain in its current status. This means that the new Regulation will not have to be transposed into each Member State’s national law.

The draft version of the Regulation has already been approved by the European Commission and Parliament. The next phase requires the European Council to reach an agreement on the text during the first quarter of 2016. There are a number of changes that are being proposed taking place including:

• Moving hearing protection from Category 2 to Category 3 PPE
• Changing life jackets from Category 2 to Category 3 PPE
• Issuing a Declaration of Conformity with each PPE or at least a link to where it can be obtained
• PPE for use of high pressure cutting equipment
• Bringing the Regulation in line with similar European requirements such as the Medical Devices Directive by suggesting a five-year certificate validity. 

The PPE Regulations are mandatory – covering any type of product that falls within its scope. Therefore, if you are in the PPE industry, it is a legal requirement to comply. Previously the PPE Directive focused on manufacturers placing products onto the market, but when the new Regulation becomes effective the whole supply chain will be involved. This means when the regulation comes into force that distributors or anyone in the supply and distribution chain should take appropriate measures to ensure that PPE meets standard requirements and that they make available on the market only products which comply with the Regulation.

BSI will be holding a seminar on 19 April 2016 to help manufacturers prepare and understand the changes. For more information visit www.bsigroup.com

Bob Wells, global head of personal safety, BSI