PPE-INFORMATIONS

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) provides the wearer with protection. It is subdivided into three categories.

PPE CATEGORY I

Protective clothing in Category I protects the wearer from straightforward, personal risks, the effects of which can be safely identified in good time by the user. E.g. overall to protect the wearer from dirt. No EC type-examination certificate needs to be issued for protective clothing in Category I.

PPE CATEGORY II

This category comprises all PPE which is not assigned to Category I or Category III. It protects people from moderate risk e.g. high-visibility clothing or light heat protection. An external body must certify Category II protective clothing and issue an EC type-examination certificate. This is valid for 5 years.

PPE CATEGORY III

Category III includes all PPE that protects against mortal danger or serious irreversible damage to the health of the wearer and where it must be assumed that the user cannot identify the direct effects of the danger in good time e.g. the danger associated with an arc flash or chemical splashes. Certification must also be carried out by an external certifying body. PPE in Category III is also subject to an EC quality assurance system which ensures monitoring and repeats the test at regular intervals. The EC type-examination certificate issued is also valid for 5 years.

FINISHING AND ALTERATION OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE)

It is particularly important in relation to the finishing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that the type of finish is specifically suited to the PPE type-examination certificate and recertified accordingly. Here too, PLANAM offers a multitude of certified options for attaching your company logo to the PPE. For any modification to the PPE which is not recertified, the type-examination certificate is no longer valid and the complete protection of the wearer is no longer guaranteed.

CE MARK

In the EU Regulation 2016/425 the mark for PPE is provided with the CE mark. CE means “Conformité Européenne” – “Conformity with EU guidelines”

  • It is a manufacturer’s declaration
  • The CE mark is always attached before the product is brought into circulation
  • This only affects products which, subject to a certain provision, are required to bear the CE mark
  • It is therefore not a voluntary mark
  • All PPE listed under cat. I, II and III must be issued with a CE mark

The mark stipulates a minimum safety standard for products. Those products requiring such marking must bear the “CE” mark, in order that they may be brought into circulation at all in the EU.