A DAY IN THE LIFE OF...
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF...
In this edition we follow Frank Angear, General Manager at the British Safety Industry Federation, as he continues to gather information about the new European PPE Regulation.
Last month I returned to Brussels - not to be part of the working group that controls all the requirements for PPE in Europe, which I go to every six months on behalf of our members - to attend a workshop set up to present and discuss how requirements will change when the new PPE Regulation is applied in two years’ time.
It has been a long time coming. The current PPE Directive which governs how PPE, which is suitable and adequate, is produced to help keep people safe at work was finalised in 1989, so an update was certainly due. The revision process has been going on for over five years now but finally, after a tortuous path through the European Commission, Parliament and Council, the text was agreed in February this year, published in the EU Official Journal at the end of March, and started its two year transition period on 21st April.
42
The workshop brought together a lot of interested parties. There were manufacturers and suppliers of PPE from all over Europe, including the UK, who will need to be fully aware of new legal requirements on them under the Regulation. Duties will be spread right across the supply chain to ensure that manufacturers, importers and distributors all verify the quality of products. Even internet-based suppliers are given a special mention as they will also have to comply with the new laws if they want to sell PPE into the EU.
There were also quite a number of Notified Bodies represented. These are the organisations which test and certify products designed to protect against medium and high risk occupational activities. They check that the product complies with the PPE Directive so that it can be CE marked, and they also certify products to European standards (EN). It is
illegal to offer any PPE for sale within the EU if it doesn’t carry a CE mark. In the Regulation the duties and requirements for Notified Bodies are set out in a great deal more detail than they are in the current Directive.
There are also obligations on what the Regulation refers to as a Notifying Authority, which every member state is required to have in place to control and administer its Notified Bodies. In the UK the role of Notifying Authority is taken on by the government within the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), who task the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to assess and monitor organisations that apply to become Notified Bodies. UKAS make recommendations back to BIS, who appoint the Body and control its on-going operation. It was good to see that BIS was also represented at the workshop.
www.tomorrowshs.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62
