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EUROPEAN RULES

Two European directives are regulating use destination and design (duties by the producer) of PPE (Personal Protetctive Equipment). Quality and security of PPE levels will have to be certified according to sanitary and security essential requirements.

TWO EUROPEAN DIRECTIVES ON PPE

In order to harmonize the regulations of CEE member states, concerning health and security of people, two European directives in relation to PPE, Personal Protetctive Equipment, have been adopted.

European directive 89/656 of November 30, 1989 acknowledged through D.L. 626 of September 19, 1994 concerning the use of PPE.

European directive 89/686 of December 29, 1989 acknowledged through D.L. 475 of December 4, 1992 concerning PPE design.

The Legislative Decree N. 626/94 was completely transfused in the "Testo unico Sicurezza Lavoro" (D. Lgs. 81/2008),  later integrated by Legislative Decree N. 106, 3th August 2009 with additional and corrective regulation. The rules contained in the so-called "corrective decree" entered into force on August 20, 2009.

Italian regulations with D.L. 475 inserted the new disposition sanctionning the principle according which it is forbidden to produce, sale or rent devices, equipments or safety products unable to assure protection to workers against every kind of danger they can have during work.
So it is settled the principle to guarantee the single worker protection and it it is denounced the danger of a false security coming from the choice of an inadeguate equipement.

PRODUCTION AND QUALITY OF PRODUCTS
 
The directive 89/686 enstablished, for every PPE category, the certification procedures and the technical rules which this equipements must be adeguated to for being able to freely circulate into CEE.
This is applied to respiration masks, protective glasses, caps, noise-resistant protections, protections against falling, shoes, clothes and protective gloves.

ARTICLES ACCORDING TO "CE" REGULATION cat. 1

These are all PPE (Personal Protetctive Equipment) that protect against minor risks. They must have an autocertification issued by the producer or tarder, on his own responsability, declaring that the item is made following the technical regulations introduced as per essential requirements.

ITEMS ACCORDING TO "CE" REGULATIONS cat. 2 AND 3

These are all PPE (Personal Protetctive Equipment) that protect against serious risks (mechanical, chemical, irradiations, heat and fire, impact risks, microbiological risks, static electricity, cold) for which it is necessary, for producer or distributor, to asking for a checking accompained by a technical dossier (conformity certificate) to an European laboratory approved by European Communities Commission.
If the result of the checking is positive the producer will be able to place regulatory "CE" mark on PPE in addition to the specific mark of the European regulations. In case of category 3 of PPE, the procedure will be the same but products will have to be submitted to a fabrication check by a board - laboratory recognized by European Communities Commission through a quality "CE" mark, year and, where requested, code of the laboratory that granted certification; PPE will have enclosed an informative document, elaborated and delivered by the producer, that will include instructions for conservation, use, cleaning, maintenance, overhauling, performance levels obtained during laboratory tests, expiry date, marking meaning.

USE OF PPE

Directive 89/656 refers to organization procedures, realisation condition and use of PPE; it refers also to the minimum security and sanitary regulations concerning the use of PPE by employees during work.
It obliges employer:

• to place the necessary and suitable PPE, to the free and individual disposal of each user;
• to check the right choice of PPE in relation to their risks and performances analysis;
• to check that PPE are effectively used;
• to check that PPE placed at user's disposal are conformable to regulations;
• to inform responsables properly for realization or maintenance of PPE;
• to grant the correct working and a satisfactory sanitary condition of PPE through their maintenance, repairing and replacing when it is necessary;
• to inform users about risks PPE have been arranged for about utilization conditions and the use of PPE instructions;
• to explain users about te correct use of PPE. This explanation will have to be repeated when it is necessary in order to use PPE in accordance with instructions for use.
  

Examples of pictograms used in marking gloves and protective clothes against every kind of risks:

Microbiological risk	Heat and fire risk	Impact risk	Mechanical risk
Chemical risk	Ionising radiation and radioactive contamination