Great expectations
October 1st 2009 The PPE market has developed at a staggering rate in recent years; there are no fewer than 1,220 stands exhibiting some form of PPE at this year’s A+A show and many of the products on offer have more advanced features than ever before.Georgina Bisby takes a closer look at the market’ s evolution
There are several factors which have contributed to the progress of the PPE market according to industry experts. Thomas Martin, joint chief executive of safety clothing and equipment supplier ARCO suggests the market has “rapidly matured in recent years because an increasing number of manufacturers have moved into competing technologies.”
But Martin also believes a change in the consciousness of the consumer has been responsible for driving change. He points to a few events in recent years which have acted as triggers: “People have an opinion about personal protection which they didn’t have ten years ago,” says Martin.
“Incidents such as Foot and Mouth impacted people personally; they saw footage of burning livestock and roads closed and these images stayed with them. The subsequent arrival of bird flu and swine flu have served to keep personal protection alive in people’s imaginations.”
This heightened awareness combined with better access to products through the internet and exhibitions have created a more astute end user. Steven Binnie PPE category manager at Arco describes today’s wearer and buyer of PPE as: “well informed with sophisticated expectations.”
For a lot of companies it’s no longer about doing the minimum. As Corporate Social Responsibility becomes a more familiar concept and shareholders take an increased interest in employee welfare, companies are looking beyond basic compliance. This is empowering safety representatives to seek solutions and in ARCO’s experience they are as responsible for driving innovation in the market as competition and legislation.
PPE manufacturer JSP can vouch for this, the company’s latest helmet, the EVO 8 is the response to requests from several large construction companies and civil engineers who approached them and asked if they could develop a safer helmet? Two and half years of Research & Development later and JSP came out with the EVO 8.
JSP says the EVO 8 is safer because it meets and exceeds the new tougher head protection standard EN14052. EN14052 requires a helmet to withstand forces over three times the crown impact level of those in the old EN397 standard and for the first time provide protection from side impacts to the same level as forces experienced on the crown impact test of EN397. One of the representatives who approached JSP had described a situation where a linesman at a major civil engineering company had received a side impact while working at height leaving the individual concussed and hanging from fall arrest which required rescue at height, something very difficult to carry out. “The existence of the higher standard EN14052 told us that there was a requirement and a standard to which we could benchmark performance of both crown and side impacts,” explains JSP’s managing director Mark Johnstone.
Some helmets have been made lighter by the material being removed from areas not in the crown impact test area of EN397; the result is a reduction in the peripheral safety performance of ‘lightweight’ EN397 helmets. “EN14052 deals with this issue as it is far better suited to protecting against the real hazards of working on today’s sites as opposed to the old standard more suited to sites typical of the 1970s,” says Johnstone. “Modern sites are typically far more frenetic, with more equipment and machinery operating, with the peripheral dangers of swinging objects from cranes and the like, as well as in general being much higher rise meaning greater velocity and load masses of falling objects.
Last year in the UK there were over 20 deaths from head protection injuries in the workplace. The situation in France was far worse with 100 deaths from head injuries.
“We ponder the question that had the people in the above statistics had three times more protection, how many fatalities would there actually have been? We don’t know the answer but we believe a percentage of these unfortunate victims would have probably survived.”
The counterfeit challenge
The ‘downside' of having such advanced products is that it increases the threat from counterfeit products which don’t meet the requirements of the PPE Directive. If people have very high expectations of a product the consequences of it not performing are potentially more serious.
Worryingly the presence of counterfeit and illegal safety equipment in the UK is on the increase. There has been some progress in tackling the issue this year with the BSIF launching its Registered Safety Supplier Scheme but there is no doubt it remains a serious challenge.
Jacques Forrest, technical director of respiratory and head protection manufacturer Centurion explains:“Policing the Directive is problematic in the marketplace. Some products still enter into the market without being approved to its requirements and hence are illegal and very possibly unsafe. Unfortunately, some of these products look identical to reputable products. It is very difficult for a consumer to know the difference without being an expert in either the Directive or European law. Policing is crucial to ensuring safety, providing quality and fit for purpose products are provided to wearers.
“It is in the interests of the purchasers and wearers of PPE to buy and wear products from well known, established manufacturers who can prove that they produce their PPE according to this Directive and are happy to openly share the required compliance paperwork”
Comfort and style
Investment in PPE is not just driven by safe performance; style and comfort have become increasing priorities. For many products the market is becoming more like the sports market according to JSP’s Johnstone. “Product lifecycles are shrinking because people want the latest and greatest products. Eyewear for example tends to have a three year turnover.”
Illustrating the demand for designs that look good, 3M now has a facility on its website where you can upload a photo and see how different styles of safety glasses suit your face shape. (www.3meye catchingprotection.co.uk/).
This more tuned desire for comfort and style has also led to the introduction of more products specifically designed for women who are no longer happy to simply wear PPE designed for men but in smaller sizes. Recent launches have included a ladies range of protective clothing from ARCO and a mask from Moldex designed to fit the female face.
For companies who might question the benefit of investing in comfort and style it is interesting to consider the case of VINCI Construction in France.
Suffering from a high staff turnover and difficulty in recruiting suitable staff, the company set about challenging some of the negative perceptions of the construction industry as an unattractive place to work.
Working with Timberland Pro and Sperian Protection, VINCI designed a new uniform for its 26 000 employees consisting of a range of safe, comfortable and modern apparel.
Following the introduction of the range the company noticed an improvement in staff turnover and raised moral: "Offering our employees a fashionable, yet practical work uniform helps to make them feel proud and raises the profile of our business activities beyond construction sites," explains Jean Rossi, chairman of Vinci Construction France.
So it seems companies are wising up to the potential of their investment in PPE, not only as a means to protect people but with the greater expectation that it can motivate and inspire the workforce. More articles from HSM News Desk: | 
