In today’s difficult economic climate, with more and more
pressure on budgets, getting the right PPE for employees,
avoiding costly mistakes and ensuring compliance with the
law has never been more essential. Gordon Burns, European
Workwear Applications Engineer at Gore discusses the
procurement process

Employers need to take a robust and
methodical approach to procuring
PPE in order to ensure that what they
procure is of good quality, is fit for purpose
and is compliant with the law.

Risk and requirements When thinking about PPE selection and the
specific requirements of the material making
up that PPE, consideration must be given to
the risks to which a wearer might be exposed,
such as a risk of molten metal splashes for
someone who does a lot of welding or of an
electrical arc incident, for someone working
on the overhead lines or a substation of a
railway. Climatic conditions and the type and
duration of the wearer’s physical activities
must also be considered. For example, do the
risks at your site include heavy/sharp objects,
corrosive chemicals, slippery floors, exposure
to electricity? Do workers spend time
indoors and out, do they work in all weathers?

Wearer comfort Ensuring PPE is comfortable is key, as
uncomfortable PPE garments and footwear
may end up not being worn. For example,
the average worker sweats the equivalent of a
cup of water through his feet each day. If
footwear is not adequately breathable,
allowing moisture to escape, the feet may feel
cold and uncomfortable affecting
concentration levels and worker well-being.

Legal obligations Employers are obliged, under the Health and
Safety at Work Act 1974 and the PPE at
Work Regulations 1999 (updated in 2005) to
‘assess, eliminate and control risks’ to their
workers. European norms also set out
standards expected for workwear based on
user requirements of the wearer. Employers
must ensure PPE complies with these
requirements.

Beware of counterfeit products. Compliant
PPE products are classified with the required
British Standard (BS) or relevant European
EN European Normative Standard and CE
approved. An easy way to be sure that your
PPE meets these standards is to use a British
Safety Industry Federation registered
supplier. The BSIF has created a Registered
Safety Supplier Scheme. All suppliers that
join the scheme make a declaration that they
only sell genuine and legal products and that
their equipment ‘does what it says on the tin’.

Field testing / wearer trials Field testing PPE before purchasing on a
large scale will help to reduce waste and
ensure the specification meets requirements,
avoiding costly mistakes. Reputable
manufacturers will be happy to participate in
a process of piloting a new product and
reviewing and amending it, before supplying
on a larger scale.

For example, a pet-food company with a
poor record of slips and trips did a trial using
specially-designed safety footwear and found
that workers using its previous issue
footwear had suffered 15 slip injuries while
those using the new footwear had not had
any. Though the new footwear was more
expensive, it lasted up to three times longer
and the cost savings from the reduction in
slip accidents saved the company about
?12,000 over the seven month trial.

Cost vs. quality It is a false economy to cut corners and
focus purely on short term cost. Focusing
on value for money, quality and durability
will in the long term help the bottom line.

For example, based on standard calculations,
two years’ supply and use of laundered
GORE-TEX jackets compared with
disposable jackets over the same period can
save from ?35-?145 per worker. It’s also
important to consider the on-going costs.

Some specialist firms offer a service where
they rent and launder PPE, helping to
ensure garments last and reducing on-going
replacement costs.

Gore’s PPE procurement checklist

• Adopt a considered, methodical approach
• Carry out a thorough risk assessment to
  determine PPE requirements
• Keep up to date with EU norms and other
  legal requirements with respect to PPE
  inclusive of SUCAM guidelines (Selection,
  Use, Care and Maintenance)
Carry out a wearer trial of any new PPE
Source and procure from companies that
have a reputation for quality
manufacturing
• Avoid purchasing products online from a
  company which offers rock bottom
  pricing ? low cost may mean low quality
• Ask suppliers for case studies or even the
  opportunity to speak with clients
• Check the company is listed on the BSIF
  ‘Registered Safety Supplier Scheme’
  website www.bsif.co.uk
• Ask for copies of test certificates before
  purchasing any products
• Check products are classified and labelled with the required British standard (BS) and/ or relevant European Normative Standard (EN) and CE

approved.