PPE - DOES IT DO WHAT IT SAYS ON THE TIN?
February 1st 2008 The BSIF is seriously concerned about the integrity and performance of safety products (primarily personal protective equipment) which may appear to be genuine and of good quality which does not do what it says on the tin.
The concern is that employers seeking to protect staff through the use of PPE may believe that they have minimised the possibility of harm. However, if the protection is sub-standard or unsuitable, people could sustain injuries. From the perspective of the people selecting and deploying the PPE and those who need to wear these products, the solution is relatively simple but it does require a healthy disrespect of the markings on the product. Just because the product is CE Marked and there are references to standards on the packaging does not guarantee its integrity.
With all PPE, except products designed to protect against minimal risks, there is a legal obligation on the manufacturer or importer to ensure that the product has been tested by an independent test-house against the performance information stated on the product. This latter is generally, but not always, a harmonised European standard [an EN]. There will be a reference on the PPE as to who the manufacturer is and, in most instances some identification of the testhouse used to obtain the independent test certificate.
The solution - simply ask your supplier to provide evidence that the CE Mark is genuine and that the standard being stated is correct. If they cannot provide this information or provide you with a route to obtain it, the BSIF would recommend that you proceed with caution.
Clearly, your own risk assessment will need to match the protection required against a suitable standard so that you can purchase the correct PPE but the simple task of checking its integrity should provide the comfort that it will work and provide the best protection. More articles from British Safety Industry Federation: | 
