All New PPE Regulations

A new set of EU regulations covering PPE was listed by the European Union in April of this year. This is the first stage of the regulations and is due too last two years. This means that in April 2018 the new regulations will come into force, although there will be a one year grace period for articles already marked to previous standards.

So what does this mean in practice?

There are now three categories of PPE:

1. Category 1 which is simple PPE which basically protects from contact issues. For example, contact with water or cleaning materials, sunglasses.
2. Category 2 which is intermediate PPE to protect from risks not covered by the other categories. For example, Hi Vis, Safety Glasses and Helmets.
3. Category 3 which is complex PPE to protect from risks that may cause death or serious injury. For example, drowning, knife wounds, chain saw cuts, falling from height.

These changes will mainly have an effect on the supply chain as it will be the wholesalers who ensure that the PPE they buy is covered by a “declaration of conformity” or a link where it can be obtained. It then becomes the buyers responsibility to ensure they are buying from reputable wholesalers who can provide this information.

For more information contact Stuart on stuart@demolishdismantle.co.uk.