Personal protective equipment and EU standards
Personal protective equipment can meet European standards
All personal protective equipment manufactured or imported into EU countries must comply with European standards. It must be tested and certified. We have explained the European standards in an earlier post. You can read it here.
In the European Union (EU), the safety standards for work equipment are set by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC). These standards are aimed at ensuring the safety and health of workers who use equipment in their workplaces, as well as to protect the general public from hazards that may arise from the use of such equipment.
The EU has several Directives that are related to the safety of work equipment
The Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Directive:
This directive sets out the safety requirements for PPE, which includes clothing, helmets, goggles, and other equipment that is worn by workers to protect them from hazards in the workplace. Check the workwear gear here.
Personal protective equipment is designed to protect you from many hazards. The PPE Directive defines personal protective equipment as "equipment designed and constructed to be worn or held by a person for the purpose of protecting him against one or more hazards to his health or safety". It also provides that personal protective equipment includes 'interchangeable components of the equipment which are essential for its protective function' and 'attachment systems for equipment which is not worn or held by a person, which are intended to connect that equipment to an external device or a reliable external point of attachment, which are not intended to be permanently fixed and do not need to be fixed before use'.
It also defines the categories of hazards against which PPE should protect users:
- eye protection against: mechanical shocks, splashes of liquids and particles
- protects hearing against: mechanical shocks and noise
- respiratory protection against gases, vapours, mists, dust and fibres
- thermal insulation against heat and cold
The Machinery Directive:
This directive sets out the safety requirements for machinery and equipment used in the EU. It covers a wide range of equipment, including industrial, agricultural, and consumer machinery, as well as equipment used in the construction industry.
The Machinery Directive is a European Union directive that lays down safety requirements for machinery and equipment used in the European Union. It covers a wide range of equipment, including industrial, agricultural, consumer and construction machinery.
It is based on the principle that users of machinery should be protected from the risks arising from their use. To achieve this objective, it requires that all machinery must be designed and constructed in such a way that it is safe to use without risk of injury to persons or damage to property.
It also requires manufacturers to draw up instructions for the safe use and maintenance of their products, which must be produced in the official language of the Member State in which the product is sold or marketed. These instructions must include information on all the risks posed by the use of the product and on how these risks can be reduced or avoided altogether.
The Low Voltage Directive (LVD):
This directive applies to electrical equipment that operates at a voltage between 50 and 1000V for alternating current and between 75 and 1500V for direct current.
The LVD is divided into two main parts:
- Part 1 covers household appliances and cables
- Part 2 covers components such as fuses
Voltage levels are classified as 50 and 1000 V for AC and 75 and 1500 V for DC. LVD is used for a wide range of electrical applications for consumer and professional use.
The ATEX Directive:
This Directive applies to equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. When it comes to ensuring the safety of people in the workplace, there is no time for leniency. That is why the ATEX Directive lays down uniform rules, applicable throughout the European Union (EU), on the sale and entry into service of equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. Its purpose is to ensure that products comply with certain requirements, thereby ensuring a high level of protection of the health and safety of persons, in particular workers, and, where appropriate, the protection of domestic animals and property.
It covers a wide range of products, including equipment used on fixed offshore oil and gas platforms, petrochemical plants, mines and other areas where potentially explosive atmospheres may be present.
These Directives are mandatory for all EU Member States and manufacturers must ensure that their products meet the requirements of these Directives before they can be placed on the EU market. There are also other standards and regulations that apply to specific types of equipment or industries, such as the Pressure Equipment Directive, the Lifts Directive and the Explosive Atmospheres Directive.
All equipment must be regularly maintained and stored, provided with instructions for safe use and replaced with new products when worn out. EU Member States have their own regulatory authorities responsible for enforcing these safety standards and ensuring compliance by employers and manufacturers. Certified equipment that complies with Eu standards can be found in the Pharsol Protect online shop.