Unions highlight PPE problems

Construction union UCATT has warned its members to ensure that their personal protective equipment (PPE) is genuine, following concerns that fake PPE, including hard hats and safety gloves, has been found on building sites.

This followed a warning from the TUC that counterfeit PPE is on the increase, with well-established products, brands and designs the primary target. It sets out in, Checking your personal protective equipment — Guidance for safety reps, that in some sectors over half the products tested were fake, and that although the biggest problems are in construction and transport, any industry can be affected.

It advises reps: “All items of PPE that are placed on the European market are obliged to carry the CE mark [indicating compliance with EU legislation] and therefore must fulfil numerous basic health and safety requirements laid down by the PPE Directive. If there is any doubt, make sure that your employer contacts the supplier and asks for an EC Declaration of Conformity or EC-Type Examination Certificate for the specific product in question. These are a legal requirement and are issued by bodies approved by the European Commission.”

UCATT also raised the alarm about PPE being sold through vending machines and called on the HSE to ban this practice as PPE should be provided to workers (including agency workers) free of charge. The union is also concerned that workers will not be able to try on the PPE, that they may purchase poorly-fitting equipment which can be as dangerous as not wearing PPE at all, and that supplying PPE through a vending machine appears to breach the legal requirement for employers to carry out a risk assessment before supplying PPE.