INDUSTRY FOCUS: SAFETY IN ENGINEERING
RS Components working with 3M to help prepare businesses for new PPE regulation
R
S Components (RS), the global distributor for engineers, has
announced it is ready to support customers with a range of personal protective equipment (PPE), specifically hearing-protection products, to help businesses comply with the new regulation on PPE. PPE is equipment that has been
designed and manufactured to be worn or held by a person for protection against one or more risks to that person’s health or safety. Along with other risks such as physical, chemical or mechanical hazards, as well as heat and flames or flying particles, a key area now officially recognised in the new legislation is noise, especially for those working in industrial environments or in construction. On April 21, 2018, the current PPE
Directive (89/686/EEC) – which has been fully applicable since July 1995 – is replaced by the new PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425. The regulation includes changes that bring it into line with current business practices, especially given the current directive text is now more than 20 years old. It covers a range of requirements such as CE marking, technical documentation and manufacturing audits, and includes three categories of risk from I to III, covering low, intermediate and high risk.
distributors with the new PPE Regulation, manufacturers of hearing protection products will be subject to more stringent on-going quality control procedures, including quality control of products or quality assurance for the entire manufacturing site. Where it is possible, new CE marking needs to be applied on all packaging and products. An important document for businesses
Upcoming PPE regulation includes changes in key area of hearing protection, RS and 3M offer easy
availability of ear defenders, ear plugs and communication ear defenders
Regulation 3M hearing protection
A key change within the new regulation
is that hearing protection has been redefined as ‘harmful noise’ and is now officially recognised as an irreversible health hazard. Accordingly, it has also been moved into the most serious risk category – Category III, which puts it in the same level of high-risk categorisation as respiratory protection and fall protection. In addition to other requirements for importers and
looking for help in this area is EN/BS 458:2016, which was published in March 2016 and covers key factors affecting the selection and use of hearing protection equipment. It also includes information on ergonomics and on the important benefits of individual fit testing to improve the field performance of hearing protectors. As well as helping awareness of the new
regulation, RS is putting in place key hearing protection products from leading manufacturers such as 3M, the science- based technology company. 3M has a wide range of equipment including ear defenders and ear plugs and communication ear defenders, which offer an easy ability for workers to communicate wirelessly with co-workers. Further information on the regulation and the 3M range of hearing protection is available on the website below:
www.rs-online.com
TAKTIS DETECTION SOLUTION FOR £4.7M ICONIC CHURCH
and will be a new home for the Dumfries Baptist Church’s congregation. The church had long outgrown the building where the congregation had met since 1873, so suitable land had to be secured and funds raised before this ambitious project could be realised. The recently completed new building, a 2,000
K
entec Electronics, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of life safety systems, has
had its highly acclaimed Taktis fire detection and alarm technology chosen to help protect an iconic new £4.7 million flexible use community hub development for Scotland’s Dumfries Baptist Church.
The church for the 21st century in Dumfries, Scotland, is a £4.7 million community facility
30 MAY 2018 | ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
m2 community hub, comprises a main church hall seating around 500 and conference facilities including full catering, youth facilities plus a full specification games hall and multi- use games area. A central full height ‘Avenue’ links all spaces, allowing light to flood the building, with rooms over two storeys offering flexible use of space options. Such a busy, multiuse facility demands a fire safety system of the highest pedigree, performance and reliability, which is why leading specialists JJ Group (Contracting) opted for an open protocol L3 system built around the sophisticated features of the new Taktis Technology Platform, and comprising a Taktis two loop fire control panel connected to a range
of Apollo addressable loop powered devices including multi sensor detectors, sounders and beacons. Kentec’s Taktis fire detection and alarm system combines the very latest in hardware and software to produce a control and indication system that is both powerful and sophisticated, yet simple to understand. Available in 28 loop or 216 loop versions and certified to EN542 and EN544, Taktis is suitable for installation in larger buildings. Its capacity to be networked up to 128 panels and repeaters gives reassurance to all building owners/operators that they are in safe hands. Not only does Kentec’s Taktis provide solutions to the most technically challenging applications in life safety, it delivers added value through ease of use, displaying clear information to ensure that when an event occurs appropriate action is taken swiftly.
K entec Electronics
www.kentec.co.uk
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