PPE REGULATION 2016

THE PPE REGULATION

The Personal Protective Equipment Regulation 2016/425 was passed by the European Parliament on 9th March 2016 and came into force on 21st April 2018, replacing the PPE Directive, which was repealed.

From a technical perspective, there is little change. Manufacturers will continue to use European Standards in order to satisfy the Health and Safety Requirements of the Regulation, just as they did under the previous PPE Directive.

The authorities responsible for surveillance and enforcement of the Regulation have been provided with additional powers and there is clearer information on the relative roles and responsibilities of the “economic operators” in the PPE supply chain: manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers. Further information is available at http://www.bsif.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Motorcyclist-PPE-1.pdf.

One major change is the decision by the European Parliament to categorise all protective clothing and equipment for use by motorcyclists as Personal Protective Equipment.

As has been explained elsewhere on this website; motorcycle clothing manufacturers had been responsible for stating whether their products are or are not PPE. This was reinforced by the agreement forged at the high-level meeting, in 1994, between representatives of industry and senior civil servants at the European Commission.

We have already covered, however, how that agreement was widely abused, so the new mandatory classification is considered by some observers as a response intended to bring the motorcycle clothing industry into line.