Safety clothing: Meeting corporate responsibilities?
February 1st 2006

Since the elimination of global textile quotas on 1st January 2005, there has been an influx of cheap imported garments and footwear from the East into the European market. Although these items of workwear may be beneficial to our purse strings, do they meet our stringent health and safety requirements and corporate responsibilities?

Stick to Safety Standards

When any kind of protective clothing is supplied to workers for use as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), it is the employer's responsibility to provide it free of charge, and ensure that it is consistently fit for purpose.

It must also comply with the appropriate European (EN) Standard to guarantee minimum quality and adequate protection of the wearer against a particular hazard or hazards.

Maximum penalties for non-compliance with the Directive include custodial sentences and hefty fines. If workwear buyers are unaware of what to look for, noncompliance may only be noticed after an accident or other incident - in which case the PPE supplier can face civil or criminal proceedings resulting from the injuries sustained by the user.

Since July 1995, it has been illegal to place an item of PPE on the market in an EU state unless it carries a CE mark. (The initials 'CE' are a declaration by the manufacturer that the product meets the minimum requirements of the European Directive.) However, illegal, substandard workwear can still filter through to UK workforces if buyers do not heed to or are unaware of their corporate responsibilities.

Human Rights

When supplying safety clothing and footwear to protect workers from occupational hazards, compliance with EN Standards is just part of a company's corporate responsibility. According to the Health and Safety Executive, "Corporate responsibility covers a wide range of issues, including the effects that an organisation's business has on the environment, human rights and third world poverty".

Over a decade ago, when the media unveiled the horrors of third world "sweatshops" used by big name garment suppliers in the West, many clothing corporations began to worry about the costs and consequences of their brand names if they were blamed for the human rights impact of their business practices.

Thanks to organisations like the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI), the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the use of "sweat shops" (in which wages are inadequate, hours are too long and the working conditions endanger the safety and health of workers) by garment suppliers is now not as prevalent.

Increasingly, those involved in ethical trade recognise International Labour Organization (ILO) standards as an international benchmark for labour codes. These standards include equality of opportunity and treatment, employment security, wages, occupational safety and health and elimination of child labour. Membership of organisations like ETI, ILO and ISO is voluntary but is seen as beneficial for trade officials, governments, producers, customers and consumers alike. If sourcing imported garments, providers of PPE should buy from a reputable source that demonstrates international codes of ethics and compliance with EN Standards.

Testing times

Caroline Walton, Product Specialist for 3Mâ„¢ Scotchlite Reflective Materials advises, "When sourcing PPE, peace of mind is often achieved by purchasing from reliable manufacturers who have taken the time and effort to implement a rigorous quality control programme, and as a result may offer a slightly higher priced product to cover the testing costs involved."

Thorough, independent testing of cheap imported garments, footwear and accessories by a DTI Notified body may reveal quality and performance issues that result in non-compliance with the appropriate EN Standard. With the recent acquisition of additional testing laboratories in Derby and Leicester, Bureau Veritas CPS UK Ltd is now able to carry out thorough performance tests for importers, retailers, brands and mail order companies on PPE, corporate clothing, technical textiles and footwear. As a UKAS approved laboratory for gloves and clothing, the company can carry out EC Type examinations of PPE that provides protection against chemical hazards, heat, flame and cold, foul weather, mechanical and cutting risks, clothing for high visibility protection and protective equipment for sport and leisure.

More articles from Clothing @ Work: