With the September 2024 updates, some important changes have been made to the recommendations for vertical and horizontal use (RfU) under the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Regulation 2016/425. These changes emphasize stricter compliance requirements for testing, certification and use of protective equipment, while also adapting to technological advances in equipment design. In particular, the Recommendations aim to ensure that PPE used in sectors such as industrial safety, construction and sport comply with national and EU standards.
Key Updates to the Vertical Recommendations
The September 2024 vertical recommendations include improvements to the inspection processes, particularly for head protection equipment, hearing aids, respirators products. The new updates require that dynamic testing of equipment used in these categories be strengthened and tested in a wider range of scenarios. In particular, technical documentation and samples provided by manufacturers will have to be reviewed whenever there are design changes. In this way, the safety and effectiveness of the equipment will be more closely monitored and certificates will be renewed when necessary.
However, the existing regulations on Protection against Falls from Height already cover dynamic performance tests for horizontal use. The recommendations of Vertical Group 11 have been in place for a long time and include the current recommendation that energy absorbing and flexible anchor lines should be tested in both dynamic and static conditions. These tests check that the equipment remains reliable in real-world conditions, such as falling over the edge.
Horizontal Recommendations: Standards for Different Product Groups
Horizontal Recommendations aim to unify standards in testing, certification and quality assurance by providing general guidance for different product groups. The September 2024 updates bring improvements in approaches to the selection of test specimens, storage of test data and random product checks. These horizontal recommendations apply not only to fall protection equipment, but also to other areas such as hearing aids, respirators and industrial head protectors.
In addition, improvements to the EU type examination procedures ensure that even minor changes to the design of PPE are carefully considered to ensure that potential safety risks are not overlooked. This means that changes in the performance of products will be more effectively managed by manufacturers and certification bodies.
Conclusion
The continuous updating of vertical and horizontal recommendations demonstrates the commitment of the Coordination of European Notified Bodies to the development of PPE standards. The focus on dynamic testing, adaptation to new materials and robust quality assurance mechanisms ensures that PPE continues to offer the highest level of protection. Compliance with these updated recommendations is vital for both manufacturers and users, as it contributes to safer working environments and more reliable protective equipment.
