Reliability not always assured
November 1st 2009 Over the past year the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) has highlighted some of the problems encountered by substandard personal protective equipment (PPE) in the marketplace. This can make it difficult for anyone selecting and purchasing PPE although using a BSIF member can help
Selecting and purchasing PPE can be a challenging task and is it not made any easier by the plethora of eager distributors. These vary on a wide spectrum from traditional business to business distributors acting as a 'go between' delivering products from the manufacturer, through to retailers and high street chains delivering products directly to the consumer. Within this spectrum, distributors will have different objectives and varying levels of specialist health and safety or product knowledge.
A distributor, compared to a manufacturer, is more likely to focus on the price of a product and whether it is fit for purpose rather than the detail of design and comfort. A traditional
distributor would supply products with a professional and informed approach, however, theymay not have the same level of product knowledge or understand the PPE requirements as fully as a manufacturer. This is even more of a problem with retailers, who often only sell PPE as an added value item, or because they stock equipment that legally requires PPE. Often these 'resellers' will only sell a 'one type suits all' product that is not always fit for purpose.
The main objective for a distributor is to secure an order and therefore in the current
economic market, this may mean a heavy focus on price encouraging the distributor to source more competitively priced products with less consideration for quality and performance. This buying approach could make the distributor a target for counterfeit and illegal products. Therefore without extra care in the procurement of safety equipment to
ensure that it is a legitimate product, there is a strong possibility that people will be at risk.
It is important to remember that as mentioned previously, there is a wide spectrum of distributors with different levels of understanding and the majority provide suitable products and good advice. The BSIF sees it as its responsibility to engage with as many distributors as possible to encourage the supply of quality, fit for purpose products.
By working with distributors who are BSIF members, problems can be avoided as members are subject to a code of conduct. This ensures the customer is working with a reputable
supplier who is committed to issuing genuine and suitable products and offering trustworthy advice.
Stuart Boyd from W C Willis & Co, comments: "As a long established independent distributor with over 30 years experience we have become acknowledged experts in our field.
The safety industry is ever changing and it is essential for us to keep up to date with the latest regulations and technology so our customers can depend on accurate, up to the minute advice on products. We seriously recognise the position of registered suppliers in the market place and are pleased to be able to be identified as such, instilling additional confidence in our customers."
The BSIF is committed to eliminating counterfeit and illegal safety equipment from the British market place. As part of this campaign, the BSIF has mounted its Registered Safety Supplier scheme which will allow participants to use the scheme shield to identify their organisation and products as 'genuine and safe' to PPE purchasers. To qualify, Registered Safety Suppliers will have fulfilled three criteria; firstly, they will need to be BSIF members with an obligation to operate in a legal and ethical manner; secondly, they will have signed a formal and binding declaration stating that the safety products they offer are legal, comply with appropriate regulations and fulfil their claims; thirdly, they will have agreed to an independent audit of their quality control procedures. Any company which does not comply risks losing its Registered Safety Supplier shield and possibly, membership of the BSIF.
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