British Safety Industry Federation Warns Against Fake PPE

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03 April 2020

The British Safety Industry Federation is urging anyone seeking offers of PPE to check the validity of any products and their certification before using them.

According to the BSIF, the prominence of fake certificates for PPE has increased over the last few weeks. The federation has produced a guide to offer advice on how to check if the supporting documentation for your PPE is genuine and what to do if you are concerned.

Claims of BS, EN & ISO standards

The BSIF have stated that many well-known brands and authorised test houses are being targeted, with products being offered that make claims of compliance to BS, EN & ISO standards.

To help combat this, the BSIF has established links with the government to highlight fake and incorrect supporting documentation. They’re also helping to guide PPE users to reliable suppliers through their independently audited Registered Safety Supplier Scheme.

The guide contains two useful checklists to help check the CE Certificate relating to any PPE, and the Declaration of Conformity.

Although providing a CE Certificate is not a legal requirement, the BSIF maintain that suppliers should be happy to provide this and to show that their products comply.

Anyone concerned can view the guide here or contact the BSIF 

The European Safety Federation’s advice

 

“At this moment, it is clear that the priority is to get as much as possible masks (and other relevant PPE) into the EU so that the healthcare workers can be protected. On the other hand, it cannot be accepted that sub-standard masks which offer not the claimed protection are made available to healthcare workers that are now at high risk and thus deserve correct protection.”

–The European Safety Federation’s Website

The European Safety Federation are also advising caution, and keeping their PPE guidance page up-to-date with the latest advice. The page currently reads:

“Everybody is working very hard and with the best intentions to make the necessary PPE available to the healthcare workers and other people involved in the fight against the COVID-19 crisis.

“Unfortunately, we are informed from different sources about ‘certificates’ used as the basis for CE marking of PPE (including FFP2/FFP3 masks and eye protection), while these ‘certificates’ have no legal value and can not be used as a conclusion of conformity assessment.”

The European Safety Federation is under the impression that manufacturers outside the EU are not entirely familiar with the EU Legislation on PPE and believe that by paying for a “certificate” from such an organisation, they are fully in compliance with the EU legislation.

They also believe that customers’ (including health authorities) knowledge about the exact requirements of the EU legislation is also lacking.

Picture: The British Safety Industry Federation is urging anyone seeking offers of PPE to check the validity of any products and its certification before using them.

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 03 April 2020

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