“Anyone can sell Safety – But you wouldn’t buy Safety from Anyone”
The BSIF re-launched the Registered Safety Supplier Scheme during the Safety & Health Expo on the 21st of June 2016, strengthening the terms of membership and ensuring that it will make further major contributions to the quality of Personal Protective Equipment supplied to the UK workforce.
Never before has there been more widespread evidence of product failing to meet claimed performance standards. We have seen significant numbers of product failures recently in Safety Footwear especially on Toe Cap Compression tests where thermoplastic caps appear to have become commonplace substitutions for non metallic glass fibre.
We have also seen numerous leather glove failings on Chromium VI and Azo dye content. This comes on top of previous instances of failures with safety hard hats and Hi Vis clothing.
The users of safety equipment and PPE deserve to get the standard of product they expect, supplied through a capable network. Many products that have been found not to perform are placed on the market at the end of a long import supply chain that is clearly difficult to manage. They are often in the PPE Category II which require, only one – time type testing with no requirement for ongoing quality Assurance! These products often have supporting CE documentation from their original submissions but with little or no ongoing control from that time.
The BSIF and the Registered Safety Supplier Scheme members are determined to eradicate non-performing non-compliant PPE from the UK and provide a quality assurance scheme for the purchase of genuine product that will help to keep people safe and healthy while they are at work.
A Registered Safety Supplier Scheme member now…
- Formally declares and commits to selling only certified PPE that performs to claims made
- Submits their product range to random independent performance testing
- Maintains a company Quality Policy
- Commits to having customer facing staff educated and accredited in the Safe Supply qualification
Who benefits …
- The purchasers and users of PPE – with product that performs sourced from capable suppliers
- The market – it becomes a fair “level playing field” as unscrupulous suppliers are deselected by users
In order to ensure user safety the BSIF will be actively publicising the benefits of end users to the point that they will be insisting on using the Registered Safety Supply Scheme members in their supplier selection process.
“Anyone can sell Safety – But you wouldn’t buy Safety from Anyone”