Until very recently, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) legislation has been defined by a UK law which was based on an EU Directive introduced 25 years ago. As research, development and technology has moved on, thankfully, so has EU Law.
The old PPE Directive has now been replaced by new PPE Regulations (EU) 2016/425, which came into force on 21 April 2018 and must be fully implemented within 12 months.
Jargon busting: What’s the difference between a PPE directive and a PPE regulation?
As a directive, it was up to each European Member State to look at the guidance and goals set down within it and determine its own PPE legislation to meet them.
As a regulation, PPE safety rules become standardised under a consistent, legal binding force throughout all European Member States.
Under the old directive, the focus was on manufacturers. One of the changes in the new PPE regulations is that the responsibility for compliance and governance now clearly incorporates the whole supply chain.
This means anyone who is involved in any aspect of the supply and distribution of your PPE must take appropriate steps to make sure it complies with the regulation and they must keep all relevant documents for at least 10 years.
This is fantastic news for reputable suppliers, customers and end users alike as it makes it much harder for non-compliant imports and sub-standard products to make their way into the market. This can only be a good thing for the safety of your team.
No. That’s not something you need to worry about. Here are the timelines:
From April 2018, all new certified PPE must be issued under new PPE manufacturing standards and carry a new EU-Type Certificate.
There’s also a one-year changeover period for suppliers which means that any products already manufactured (and carrying the old EU Directive EC-Type Certificates) may still be supplied/sold from existing stock until the new law comes into full effect on 21 April 2019.
Even then, any equipment you’ve already bought which carries a certificate issued under the Directive, will still be valid for use until 21 April 2023, unless the expiry date for the certificate is earlier or, as has always been the case, the product needs to be replaced due to wear and tear or damage.
So, even if you bought a stock product with an old Directive EC-Type Certificate on 20 April 2019 (the day before those products can no longer be sold unless they’re re-certified), you’d still be able to use them for up to another four years.
Here at ProGARM, we’ve always been a driving force for safety innovation – blazing the trail for researching and introducing the best possible materials and manufacturing techniques to make sure our Arc Flash clothing and equipment leads the market in being as safe as possible.
During the next 12 months, as we move from the new PPE regulation coming into force and needing to be fully implemented, we’ll be adapting our range accordingly.
Arc Flash PPE has been re-classified and will move from needing to be Article 10 compliant under the old Directive to needing to be Module B (Annex V) compliant under the new PPE regulations.
Our rigorous testing procedures have always shown that our products have met and, in many cases far exceeded, the minimum standards that had been laid out in the old legislation and continue to meet the newest standards. We have no concerns that they will continue to pass new tests with flying colours. Watch this space!
To speak to one of our sector experts about the range of ProGARM clothing and equipment that’s right for you, call +44 (0) 1482 679 600
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