In April 2018, new regulations on personal protective equipment (PPE) will come into force in the UK and across Europe. Campbell explains: “This doesn’t relate so much to users of protective equipment; instead it is talking about producers, importers, suppliers and distributors, and it puts the onus on them to make sure the PPE they supply meets the necessary standards.
“This means, ultimately, that the end users can be happier that their equipment is of a higher standard. There is a big market for PPE and there have been a lot of issues around the quality of imported protective equipment in particular.”
A new International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) regulation relating to health and safety management – ISO 45001 – is also due to come into effect at some point in the first half of 2018, Campbell says. ISO rules are not mandatory for all firms in the way that government legislation is, but for businesses that are part of the supply chains of larger firms, compliance with ISO 45001 may be a customer requirement.
The standard will place a much greater obligation on businesses to demonstrate that they are meeting best practice in terms of their approach to health and safety and the policies they have in place.
