bmta.co.uk
CE CERTIFICATION CHECKLIST
Are you sure that your Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is legal and its supporting
documentation is genuine and relates directly to the performance of the equipment?
Despite the best efforts of the market policing authorities
and ourselves at the BSIF, there are still illegal items of
PPE being placed on the market.
Counterfeit PPE and in particular, counterfeit supporting
documentation are notably on the increase.
Well-known brands and notified bodies (authorised test
houses) are being targeted and there are products being
offered that make claims of compliance to BS, EN & ISO
standards and offer dubious proof that this is the case.
Often these products do not perform as they should,
endangering lives and exposing organisations to the risk of
prosecution.
In addition to the work the BSIF have done through our
Registered Safety Supplier Scheme – helping to signpost
PPE users to reliable suppliers who are independently
audited by the BSIF – we have established links with
Government to highlight fake and incorrect supporting
documentation and have these removed.
This guide offers advice on how to check if the supporting
documentation for your PPE is genuine and what to do if
you are concerned.
All PPE must be supplied with instructions for use and be
appropriately tested and marked with a CE marking, it must
also be supplied with a Declaration of Conformity or a link to
a website where a Declaration of Conformity can be
downloaded. Without these, the product is illegal to use as
protective equipment in the workplace.
How easy is it to spot a counterfeit, illegal or incorrect CE certificate?
You can – and probably should – request to see the CE Certificate relating to any PPE, and whilst it is not a legal
requirement for suppliers to provide this many will be happy to show that their products comply and have been certified.
They MUST provide the Declaration of Conformity in any case.