Buying fake risks lives

Posted on Friday 1 January 2010

In excess of 25,000 people each year suffer a major injury at work, whilst over 120,000 have to take significant time off due to an incident at work according to occupational statistics.

Approximately 1 in 3 accidents at work are caused by the non or inappropriate use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This statistic is based on Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences (RIDDOR) scheme. It is therefore crucial that PPE is supplied and worn by employees.

In times of austerity, it is tempting to buy cheaper safety products but if these products don’t fit properly, employees are less likely to wear them. If a pair of gloves is too tight or a face mask keeps falling off, you are risking your employees’ safety. PPE needs to meet EU standards to ensure you are complying with Health and Safety legislation.

To help combat the arrival of counterfeit and illegal PPE, the BSIF introduced the Registered Safety Supplier Scheme (RSSS). The scheme ensures that all PPE is tested to the known performance requirement as stipulated by CE standards and that individuals are buying from a recognised and reputable source. Organisations that become part of the scheme need to fulfil the
following criteria:

Be an approved BSIF member with an obligation to operate in a legal and ethical manner.
Sign a formal and binding declaration, to be included in its quality manuals, stating that the safety products it offers are legal, fully comply with the PPE regulations and are appropriately CE marked. This declaration is audited through special provisions set out within the company’s ISO9001 Certification. Under the RSSS this independent audit is one of the key requirements to independently verify conformance.