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European Directives Division: Directive 89/686/CEE, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Publication date: December 21, 1989
Amendments:
- Directive 93/68/CE July 22,1993
- Directive 93/95/CE October 29,1993
- Directive 96/58/CE September 3,1996
Reception date in Italy: D.L.December 4,1992,n°.475
Field of application:
Personal protectivce equipment (in the following PPE) ,i.e. every device or manufactured article intended to be worn or kept by a person in order to be protected against one or more risks that could jeopardize safety or health.
The following PPE are outside the directive field of application:
PPE regulated by another directive concerning the same marketing objectives, free circulation and safety of the present directive;
- PPE specifically designed and manufactured for the Armed Forces or the order keeping Forces (helmets, shields, etc.);
- PPE for selfdefence in case of assault (aerosol generators, deterrent individual weapons, etc.);
- PPE designed and manufactured for private use against:
- weather conditions (hats, cold season clothes, shoes, boots, umbrellas, etc.);
- moisture, water (wash-up gloves, etc.);
- heat (gloves, etc.).
- PPE intended to protect or rescue persons aboard ships or planes, whose use is not a continuous one;
- Helmets and visors for two or three wheels motor vehicle drivers.
Certification system:
The certification system depend of the category to which the PPE belong.
1st category PPE: no intervention by the Notified Body (NB) in order to certificate the CE conformity.
Such are the PPE of simple design, for which the designer presupposes that the user can directly evaluate the efficiency against minimal risks, whose effects, if gradual, can be perceived in time and without damages for him.
This category exclusively includes PPE intended to protect their user against:
- mechanical aggressions having surface effects (garden gloves, sew-thimbles, etc.)
- cleaning agents whose aggression is light and easily reversible (gloves protecting against dilute detergent solutions, etc.);
- risks arising from the handling of warm items having a temperature not higher than 50 °C and not causing dangerous impacts (industrial gloves and aprons,etc.);
- neither exceptional nor extreme weather conditions during non-private activities (hats,cold season clothes,shoes and boots,etc.);
- light impacts and vibrations that do not hurt vital parts of the body and do not cause irreversible injuries (light hats against scalp injuries,gloves,light shoes,etc.);
- sunlight (sunglasses).
2nd category PPE: the conformity of the model has to be evaluated and certified by a NB according to the procedure of art. 10 of the directive..
This category exclusively includes PPE which are not included in 1st or 3rd category.
3rd category PPE: the conformity of the PPE model has to be evaluated and certified by a NB according to the procedure of art.10 of the directive. The PPE production has to be monitored by the NB according to one of the procedures (by the manufacturer’s choice) provided for in art.11 of the directive. Such are the PPE of complex design intended to protect against fatal dangers or dangers that can heavily and irreversibly damage the health and for which the designer presupposes that the user cannot perceive in time the immediate effects.
This category exclusively includes:
- respiratory protection devices filtering against solids, liquid aerosols or against irritating, dangerous, toxic or radiotoxic gases;
- respiratory protection devices that completely insulate from the atmosphere, included those intended for diving;
- PPE that ensure a temporarily limited protection against chemicals or ionizing radiations;
- The intervention devices in warm environments whose effects are comparable with those of an air temperature equal or higher than 100 °C ,with or without infrared radiations, flames or fused matter spraying;
- The intervention devices in cold environments whose effects are comparable with those of an air temperature equal or lower than –50 °C;
- PPE intended to protect against falls from above;
- PPE intended to protect against electric shocks when working with high voltages or those used as insulators for high voltages.
INFO AND ESTIMATES:
Please contact Mr. Marco Scanagatta
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ITALIANO