Are you certain it’s safe?

When it comes to safety, it is essential that both the products and personnel that you
rely on are up to the job. Fortunately there are some tools available to help you make
this assessment, explains David Lummis

To comply with the law, all personal protective
equipment (PPE) must be tested and approved to
appropriate CE standards and marked as such.

Following an employer undertaking a risk assessment, the
appropriate method of protecting the employee from a
workplace hazard must be implemented. If that requires the
use of PPE, it is essential to ensure the product performs to
the appropriate standard and is clearly marked as such. But,
can you be sure the product ‘does what it says on the tin’?
The BBC has highlighted the problem of fake and illegal safety
equipment through its series, ‘Fake Britain’ and has exposed a
number of products that just do not perform as they should.

Trading Standards is becoming increasingly active in
this area as awareness grows.

To make life even more difficult, there is
an ever increasing number of fake CE
approval certificates being exposed
and reported through the EU
commission.

All too frequently, fake
products do not perform
satisfactorily, exposing
employees to hazards they
should be protected from and
leading to a false sense of
security in employees and
employers. On top of this, if the
products you buy are not
genuine and do not perform, you
will be breaking the law (it is your
responsibility to ensure the products
perform adequately) and therefore risk
prosecution. The questions is, are you
‘Certain it’s safe?’
When BSIF is informed of fake products, all too
often they have been sourced from a ‘remote’ supplier, such as
internet auction sites or street markets. Not surprisingly their
sales edge is often price and to achieve this some corners may be
cut. For products that could save your life, ‘cutting corners’ is not
ideal and buying from sources with no provenance, expertise or
recourse is just plain silly. Why do it to save a few pence and risk
a life.

Look for the Registered Safety Supplier Scheme
shield
In order to help companies choose a reputable supplier the safest
option is to look for those who are registered under the BSIF
Registered Safety Supplier scheme. Look for the Registered Safety
Supplier shield.

Another serious problem in the safety world is competence.

Saying ‘I can do it’ and actually having the skills to do it can be
some distance apart. If we take the instance of RPE fit testing,
which is a relatively straight forward procedure, it is amazing
how low the levels of competence can be. Where a face seal is
required, RPE must be fit tested to each individual, to ensure the
product fits correctly and prevents exposure of the hazard to the
wearer. Without a correct seal, inward leakage of the hazardous
substance will occur, putting health at risk.

Competence in fit testing is essential to prevent harming
wearers, but at the moment, more than 50% of those being
assessed for accreditation as a competent fit tester under the
Fit2Fit scheme are failing. Some by a significant margin!
Worryingly, this is just one sector within the whole spectrum of
occupational safety related activities, but it highlights a potential
problem.

Ensuring the competence of the people you employ in your
safety activities is essential. This applies equally to
those working for your company, as to any
consultants you may bring in. But how can
you go about this? Recognising the
problem, the HSE along with a
number of industry stakeholders
including the BSIF have
established the Occupational
Safety & Health Consultants
Register (OSHCR) scheme
that lists health and safety
consultants who have met
certain standards within their
professional bodies and who
have a proven level of
knowledge. It is an excellent
starting point. There are other
accreditation schemes such as
Fit2Fit that can offer some
independent guidance.

An individual’s qualifications are a good
guide, but remember they may have been taken
some time ago and skills may have grown rusty or the
skill requirements may have changed as industry develops.

Ensure the individual is a member of a CPD (continuous
personal development) scheme. These are operated by the major
occupational safety and health institutes such as IOSH or IIRSM
and of course membership of a professional institute is a good
indicator of knowledge. Finally, references are extremely useful,
be those from external sources or internal company experience.

As the employer creating the hazard, you have a duty to
protect your workforce and ensure the safety regime you have
put in place works. If you are not
‘Certain it’s safe’ think again.