If you run your own business, the likeliness of you knowing about Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is quite high. Last year, the PPE Directive 89/686/EEC4 was replaced by the Regulation 2016/425 in a bid to improve health and safety at work.
However, a lot of managers will be trying to find out how this will impact them — especially if they operate both solely in the UK or within the European Union. Opposed to the former directive, the new regulation is a binding legislative act that must be applied in its entirety across the EU without requiring separate national legislation.
Technology has influenced safety in the workplace, especially when you look at the changes both in equipment and workwear. Because of this, changes were required and expected to occur around PPE after it first came into action over two decades ago.
In the past, the PPE Directive only focused on manufacturing companies who put products in the market. However, this new regulation that was put into action on 21st April 2018 will involve the entire supply chain. As a result, anyone who is part of the supply or distribution chain must abide by PPE and meet the standard requirements that have been set out — while also having an understanding that only products that meet the standards will be made available on the market. Company uniform suppliers, Dimensions find out more…
An insight to the main standards:
- Making sure PPE complies with the essential health and safety requirements.
- Making sure technical documentation has be drawn up.
- When compliance has been demonstrated the EU declaration of conformity has been drawn up and a CE mark affixed.
- Retention of documents for ten years.
- Sample testing.
- Duty to take action in relation to non-conforming PPE.
- Labelling requirements.
- Providing instructions and cooperating with the national authority.
The former Directive and current Regulation are still applicable to business, although this will change once the one-year transition period ends on the 21st April 2019. However, any EC type-examination certificates and approvals issued under the Directive will remain valid until the 21st April 2023 unless they have an earlier expiry date.
What are the three main categories?
Category I (simple design) – workers will assess their own level of risk. Workwear solutions could include the use of garden gloves, footwear or ski goggles for example.
Category II (neither simple or complex) – items in this category can include dry and wet suits.
Category III (complex design) – all clothing under this category are complex in design and can protect human health from mortal danger. To give you an idea, this could potentially include harnesses and respiratory equipment.
Staff perception on workwear
Everyone has an opinion on workplace workwear. Figures have suggested that 98% of employees have seen colleagues not wearing PPE when they were supposed to, with a further 30% saying this happens on a regular basis. Excuses varied as to why employees were not wearing the appropriate workwear with some suggesting that it looked unattractive, made them too hot, was a poor fit and was not very practical which should most definitely not be the case for such corporate workwear.
There has been a lot of research carried out which highlight the need for PPE regulations. Did you know that 9% of all injuries are head injuries because 84% of such occurrences have not been wearing the proper headwear? Or that 50% of construction workers experience a serious accident at work during their career? If workers wore proper safety eyewear, injury could be reduced by up to 90%.
Did you know that 25% of employees are exposed to noise that are higher than the recommended level? Such damage could be reduced 99% by wearing the right type of hearing protection. As well as this, 25% of all workplace injuries involve a person’s fingers and hands which could be reduced by 60% if safety gloves are worn.
There needs to be more education on why PPE is essential for businesses and its staff. However, businesses must also take away from this article that workers feel uncomfortable in the PPE workwear that has been distributed to them – you must strike a balance between safety requirements and comfort to ensure that staff wear such equipment when needed.
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