Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) safety
The PPE Regulations
Regulation (EU) 2016/425 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on personal protective equipment and repealing Council Directive 89/686/EEC has been transposed in to Irish legislation by the European Union (Personal Protective Equipment) Regulations 2018 (S.I. No. 136/2018) (the PPE Regulations).
The legislation provides that PPE cannot be placed on the market unless it complies with essential health and safety requirements in the PPE Regulations.
How is PPE defined?
According to the PPE Regulations, personal protective equipment means:
(a) equipment designed and manufactured to be worn or held by a person for protection against one or more risks to that persons health or safety;
(b) interchangeable components for equipment referred to in point (a) which are essential for its protective function;
(c) connection systems for equipment referred to in point (a) that are not held or worn by a person, that are designed to connect that equipment to an external device or to a reliable anchorage point, that are not designed to be permanently fixed and that do not require fastening works before use;
PPE are items like bicycle helmets and life jackets and also components designed to be used in protective equipment, such as filters in masks etc.
Does PPE have to carry a CE mark?
Yes, all PPE which is in compliance with the PPE Regulations must carry a CE mark.
The CCPC’s role
The CCPC is the market surveillance authority for PPE for consumer use. The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) is the market surveillance authority for PPE in the workplace.
