Checking your Personal Protective Equipment

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Letter to Branches




No. 598/12
Ref C11
Date: 7 August 2012

To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

Checking if Your PPE is Genuine - Guidance for Safety Representatives.

The TUC has become aware of a growing number of incidents where employers have purchased cheap sub-standard Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from websites and rogue companies. Much of this is counterfeit, fake PPE and is a particular problem in the construction and transport industries where it is estimated that over 50% of hi-vis equipment used does not comply with EU regulation.

The implications of fake PPE can be devastating, as if it fails, the worker may be killed or injured. In addition unsuitable hand ear and breathing protection can have long term health effects.

The TUC has produced a guide for Safety Representatives on how to check that PPE is genuine and complies with EU regulations. A copy is attached. It is also available on the TUC website at http://www.tuc.org.uk/tucfiles/348/CheckPPE2012.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is an item held or worn by an individual which protects against one or more hazards. It can include common items such as
Hi-visibility jackets, safety footwear, hard hats and eye or ear protection, through to very specialist equipment such as fall arrest harnesses and specialist respirators.

To be effective the equipment has to be able to do the job it is designed for. In part that means employers must make sure that the equipment is suitable for the job
it is intended to do, but it also has to be of a quality that means it will not fail.

All items of PPE that are placed on the European market are obliged to carry the mark and therefore must fulfil numerous basic health and safety requirements
laid down by the PPE Directive.

All safety equipment must, not only carry the  mark, it must be bigger than 5mm and the instructions must be comprehensible and written the official language of
the country it is sent to.

In the UK there are an increasing number of reported cases of PPE being placed on the market that does not meet the legal requirement. Sometimes this is because
they have been made for use outside Europe where standards are lower, but it can also be a result of counterfeiting.

Counterfeit PPE is on the increase, with well established product brands or designs being the primary target. In some sectors over half the products tested were
counterfeit. Although the biggest problems are in construction and transport, any industry can be affected.

Much of the problem is that employers are increasingly trying to cut corners and buy products from internet sites and auction sites that advertise cheaper products.

The issue of counterfeit and illegal products is a serious one in that often these products do not perform as they should, putting the lives or health of your members at risk.

Safety representatives can help prevent problems with PPE by ensuring that their employer consults with them over the type of PPE they buy. They can also check
that any PPE that is provided is legal.

Checklist for safety representatives.
To make sure that any PPE is compliant with the law, check with your employer:

Was it purchased from a reputable supplier? Companies displaying the logo of the Registered Safety Supplier (RSS) scheme. Should have signed a binding
          declaration that the safety equipment they offer meets all the correct standards.
Is the  present on the product marking/labelling and is it in the correct font and at least 5mm high?
For high risk products, including respirators and chemical protective clothing, is the  mark accompanied by a 4-digit number?
Were written instructions for use provided with the product and are they printed in clear text, understandable and available in English?
Is the name and address of the manufacturer detailed on the user instructions?

If there is any doubt, make sure that your employer contacts the supplier and asks for an EC Declaration of Conformity or EC-Type Examination Certificate for the specific product in question. These are a legal requirement and are issued by bodies approved by the European Commission. The certificate should show that the product has been tested to EU standards. It should have a clear description of the product and the manufacturers name and address. If there is any doubt about the authenticity of the certificate the employer should speak directly to the notified body that is named on the certificate.

If there is still any doubt the employer can contact the British Safety Industry Federation on 01442 248744 for advice.

High-visibility clothing

High-visibility clothing, a type of personal protective equipment (PPE), and is any clothing worn that has highly reflective properties or a colour that is easily discernible from any background. Yellow or Orange waistcoats worn in designated areas, by drivers, Delivery Staff, Roadworks workers or by emergency services personnel are a common examples.

Part of the surface of the garment may have retroreflective stripes. This way they become much more visible in the dark for observers near a light source, such as the driver of a car with its headlights on. The pattern of the retro reflecting parts also helps to distinguish between objects and people. Area reflective fabric has proven to be the most effective way of outlining the body, so that drivers can distinguish a human shape at night.

For greater visibility during the daytime, very bright colours are used for the main body of the garment by means of fluorescent material.

EN 471:2003 is a  European Standard for high-visibility clothing. It deals with High-Visibility Specifications.

There are three levels of protection:

-> Class 1 Class 1 defines the lowest visibility level e.g. High-visibility trousers with two 5 cm reflective bands around each leg. These become Class 3 when worn with a
     Class 3 jacket.
->  Class 2 The class 2 defines an intermediary visibility level. Example: vests. Two 5 cm bands of reflective around body or on one 5 cm band around body and braces to
      both shoulders.
->  Class 3 The class 3 defines the highest level of visibility. Example jacket with long sleeves, jacket and trouser suit. Two 5 cm bands of reflective tape around the body,
     arms and braces over both shoulders.

89/686/EEC is a European Commission (EU) directive which covers high-visibility clothing.


Yours sincerely



Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer