Taking on the counterfeiters
February 1st 2009 Ahead of the launch of the BSIF's Registered Safety Supplier Scheme, the federation's Secretary General Geoff Hooke warns against the dangers of substandard PPE and explains what BSIF is doing to try and eliminate these products from the UK market
The BSIF is not alone in condemning the dangers associated with safety equipment and PPE which does not comply with the regulations or which flagrantly plagiarises products traded by respected manufacturers and distributors. While individual BSIF members might be concerned about their own interests, the BSIF membership as a whole is determined to eradicate counterfeit and illegal products from the UK market because of the health and safety problems created when this equipment fails to perform.
The BSIF is now to launch its Registered Safety Supplier scheme. Any manufacturer displaying the PPE Manufacturer's shield or the Safety Distributor's shield has made a legally binding declaration to state that the safety products being sold by them do comply with the various regulations and can be trusted to "do what they say on the tin".
Working to raise awareness
Over the coming months, the BSIF is to engage with the public enforcement authorities to establish the best way to alert them and the safety market as a whole of products which are likely to be a danger to those wearing or using them. To date this year, the BSIF has received evidence of five products which do not conform to the PPE Regulations, three instances of falsified CE certificates and two instances of "look-a-like" copies which also fail to do what is claimed in the literature. Couple this with the known lack of ready information within smaller companies and it is no wonder that accident rates are so high.
Publicly available database needed
It is a little disturbing that most of the evidence is being provided by competitors, which demonstrates that either these problems are not being identified by users or not being reported. The BSIF is urging users to advise details of any product which does not perform or is suspect in any way so that a publicly available data-base can be set up.
The main problem seems to be generated by manufacturers and importers attempting to avoid the costs of complying with the PPE Regulations by simply CE Marking their products without having them independently tested by a Notified Body. The BSIF is fortunate to have members that are experts in their field. Having identified competitive products which appear to be suspect, they test them in their own laboratories. As soon as they find products which fail to perform as claimed, the situation becomes much more serious.
Purchasing counterfeit products in good faith
Anyone using these products could be at risk. Unfortunately, employers will be ignorant of this until a member of staff is injured. After all, they have purchased the PPE, carrying a CE Mark, in good faith. The situation is exacerbated because, often, it will not be the PPE that is blamed. If the incident does not result in a three-day absence, there is no need to make a report under RIDDOR - so the HSE is completely unaware of the situation.
Couple this with the fact that GPs do not, as a rule, have any significant knowledge of the work-related aspects of dermatitis, respiratory problems, etc. and it is no real surprise that the culprit, the inadequate PPE, remains unidentified as the cause of the injury.
Even more underhand is the practice by unscrupulous, off-shore manufacturers of using electronic means to fraudulently duplicate genuine Type-Examination Certificates so that they can dishonestly CE Mark their products. These problems only come to light when questions are asked following product testing. Genuine Notified Bodies will report any instances which are identified as their reputation and notified status is being threatened. Once reported, there are information systems in place to ensure that all EU member states are advised. Unfortunately, whilst this information is publicly available, finding it and understanding it will be outside of the abilities of most smaller companies.
Because counterfeit and illegal PPE are likely to: cause work-place injuries; are difficult to identify in the market and undermine the reputation of manufacturers, importers and notified bodies, the BSIF will continue its drive to ensure that the whole of the safety industry understands the problem and stops taking PPE for granted. The Registered Safety Supplier Scheme makes it easier for employers to select genuine safety equipment and avoid deploying unsuitable products. Rogue safety products may save a few coppers in the short term but the likely consequences are serious and could be costly.
Geoff Hooke is Secretary General of the BSIF To report a counterfeit product or to discuss concerns over sub-standard products, the BSIF can be contacted on 01745 585600 or bsif@virgin.net More articles from BSIF Enterprise: | 
