Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is equipment that has been designed and manufactured to be worn or held by a person for protection against one or more risks to that person\u2019s health or safety.<\/p>\n
Along with other risks such as physical, chemical or mechanical hazards, as well as heat and flames or flying particles, a key area now officially recognised in the new legislation is noise, especially for those working in industrial environments or in the construction industry.<\/p>\n
On April 21st, 2018, the current PPE Directive (89\/686\/EEC) \u2013\u00a0 which has been fully applicable since July 1995 \u2013\u00a0is replaced by the new PPE Regulation (EU) 2016\/425.<\/p>\n
The regulation includes changes that bring it into line with current business practices, especially given the current directive text is now more than 20 years old.<\/p>\n
It covers a range of requirements such as CE marking, technical documentation and manufacturing audits, and includes three categories of risk from I to III, respectively, covering low, intermediate and high risk.<\/p>\n