A real danger from fake PPE

Non-compliant and counterfeit PPE is a serious threat to worker safety, not only in the UK and mainland Europe but world-wide, as Gordon Burns, technical applications engineer at W L Gore and Associates (UK), explains

The trend for this unscrupulous criminal activity seems to be on the increase and is a hot topic in the health and safety arena. This is for good reason. If counterfeit, non-compliant and illegal PPE products are sold and used in industrial environments instead of compliant PPE products, which are classified with the required British Standard (BS), or the relevant EN European Normative Standard and CE approved, the consequences could lead to expensive legal action for the employer and potentially prove fatal for workers.

Leading the charge on the battle against non compliant and illegal products, the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) which is the trade body for safety equipment manufacturers and suppliers, has recently launched its 'Registered Safety Supplier Scheme'. The aim is to assist procurement officers, those who are responsible for procurement and end users to identify reputable PPE suppliers The BSIF's scheme was given a wider public profile when it appeared in June on the BBC TV's Fake Britain Programme. The BSIF's chief executive officer, David Lummis, discussed the different forms counterfeit items can take, the impact they have on society and reinforced the message that it is pivotal that genuine and legal PPE is used to ensure workers' health and safety.

All suppliers who join the scheme make a declaration that they only sell genuine and legal products and to add gravitas to this declaration it must be audited as part of the suppliers annual ISO 9001 - the internationally recognised standard for the quality management of businesses.

Ken Elavia from Orbit International said recently: 'More should be done by Trading Standards to help protect workers against the threat of fake PPE in the UK. During many years in the PPE supply business I know of only one company that actually had its stock impounded. This isn't representative of the true threat and the enormity of the problem.' This year's Trading Standards Institute Conference held on 23 June in Bournemouth opened with the launch session message that in today's harsh economic times 'Conmen have never had it so good' - a gloomy but honest summary of the state of the current economic environment.With annual funding for Trading Standards set to fall from £247m in 2009/ 2010 to between £140 to £170m by 2014 (according to BIS), perhaps now is the time to put pressure on Government to reduce the funding cuts. Less money surely equates to less consumer/ worker protection by this established institute.

Speaking at the conference, Baroness Christine Crawley, TSI president, commented: "You exist to protect ordinary families from the sharks and shysters and sharp practitioners who would plague our high streets and our websites. You are there to make business play fair when it might be tempted to cut corners." In Europe, and particularly CEN TC 162 the Protective Clothing committee, Dave Matthews (Leader of the UK Delegation to both CEN & ISO on all Protective Clothing) has argued along with his Dutch colleagues for a greater PPE enforcement role by the EU Commission. He says: "The PPE trade in the UK and Europe is worth up to £17bn and involves many companies and thousands of employees. It is surely unacceptable to put all of this at risk from those who choose not to manufacture and place on the market PPE which is compliant with the appropriate BS, EN or ISO standard." It is noticeable that the UK status across the EU & Internationally (ISO) is waning due to the lack of support from Central Government, this is the complete opposite in Japan, whose Government has taken decisions to increase their focus and control of ISO standards committees.

It is difficult for industry and the service sector to continually have in position employees with the knowledge and expertise relating to PPE and the EN and ISO standardisation process.More and more companies and employers in the UK are withdrawing from standards committees, which leads to less understanding and knowledge of PPE and therefore how to recognise and check for non-compliant and illegal PPE.

An important warning to take away from the current prolific flood of non-compliant and counterfeit PPE available to industrial markets in the UK can be summed up in the words of John Ruskin who once said: "There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper… And those people that consider price only are this man's lawful pray." Until we are in the position of increased Government funding, solid knowledge and education on how to spot non-compliant goods, we need to rely on the works of such schemes as the BSIF's 'Registered Safety Supplier Scheme'. A commonsense approach to purchase and procurement will help to slowly improve this situation through the simple law of supply and demand. Reduce demand for low cost inferior products and the supply will cease.

Gore's PPE purchase check list Source and procure from companies with a strong heritage and reputation for quality manufacturing and who use technical fabrics and components which are tested for quality and designed for the specific end use Ask suppliers for case studies or the chance to speak with current and previous clients Check the company is listed on the BSIF's Registered Safety Supplier Scheme website: www.bsif.co.uk Ask for copies of test certificates Check products are classified and labelled with the required BS and/or the relevant EN Standard and CE approved.