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Media Centre >> Knowledge e-news >> Eurofins PPE Bimonthly Bulletin (September-October 2022)

Eurofins PPE Bimonthly Bulletin (September-October 2022)

EUROPE

Standards updates

The following table summarises the most recent standard updates and upcoming dates of withdrawal (non-exhaustive):

(*) Date of withdrawal: the latest date by which national standards conflicting with an EN (and HD for CENELEC) have to be withdrawn.

CEN
Reference	Title	*Date of withdrawal ()**	Supersedes
EN ISO 6942:2022	Protective clothing - Protection against heat and fire - Method of test: Evaluation of materials and material assemblies when exposed to a source of radiant heat (ISO 6942:2022)	31-03-2023	EN ISO 6942:2002
EN 17673:2022	Protective clothing - Protection against heat and flame - Requirements and test methods for garments with integrated smart textiles and non-textile elements	28-02-2023

FRANCE

Annual control plan 2020: breath control

On 8 August 2022, the Direction générale de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la répression des fraudes (DGCCRF) published results on the annual control plan 2020 which focused on the topic of breath control.

Most of the products sampled fell into one of two main categories of personal protective equipment (PPE): filtering half-mask respirators against particles (classes "FFP1" and "FFP2") and PPE for diving sports or leisure.

The services of the DGCCRF transmitted 151 warnings and 36 injunctions for compliance, established an administrative fine, and drew up 10 criminal reports.

For more information, consult the DGCCRF website here.

PRODUCT RECALLS / ALERTS

Below you will find a monthly summary of product recalls and alerts in Europe (Source “Safety Gate (RAPEX)”)

Europe

Safety Gate (RAPEX) (European Commission Rapid Alert System for dangerous non-food products – Alerts reported by EU national authorities).

The following 14 alerts regarding Personal Protective Equipment were reported between week 34 and week 42 of 2022.

Type of Risk	Number of alerts	Notes
Chemicals	1	Work gloves The product contains chromium (VI). The product does not comply with REACH Regulation.
Damage to slight	1	Sunglasses The transmission of UV light is too high. The product does not comply with the Personal Protective Equipment Regulation.
Health risk / other	7	Particle filter mask The product bears a CE marking but its filtering capacity has not been tested by a relevant competent European conformity assessment body. It does not comply with the Personal Protective Equipment Regulation, nor with the European standard EN 149.
Health risk / other	7	Particle filter mask The particle/filter retention of the material is insufficient. It does not comply with the Personal Protective Equipment Regulation, nor with the European standard EN 149.
Injuries	5	Reflective pendant The product does not reflect light sufficiently. The product does not comply with the Personal Protective Equipment Regulation, nor with EN 13356.
		Slap wrap with LED The product does not reflect light. The product does not comply with the Personal Protective Equipment Regulation, nor with EN 13356.
		Winch brake for lifeboat The winch break may malfunction. The product does not comply with the requirements of the Marine Equipment directive.

OPSS issues Product Safety Alerts to the UK market.

The following 12 alerts regarding Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) were issued between week 34 and week 42 of 2022.

Type of Risk	Number of alerts	Notes
Chemicals	1	Dual gas and particulate respirator Some end-users may not be afforded the expected and required level of protection from the cartridges and thus could be exposed to potentially harmful particulates. Some of the notified products do not meet high-quality standards, nor the applicable regulatory standards of the Personal Protective Equipment Regulation 2016/425.