PPE Guidelines

Guidelines on the application of council directive 89/686/EEC of 21 december 1989 on the approximation of the laws of the member states relating to personal protective equipment

INTRODUCTION

The objective of these guidelines is to clarify certain matters and procedures referred to in directive 89/686/EEC concerning Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). It provides a cross reference from the legal text of the directive to explanations by EU sectoral experts. The guidelines should be used in conjunction with the directive and with the European Commission’s ”Guide to the implementation of directives based on New Approach and Global Approach (Blue Guide)”.

These guidelines are not only for the use of Member States’ competent authorities, but also by the main economic operators concerned, such as manufacturers, their trade associations, bodies in charge of the preparation of standards as well as those entrusted with the conformity assessment procedures.

First and foremost, this document must ensure that, when correctly applied, the directive leads to the removal of obstacles and difficulties related to the free circulation (free movement) of goods within the European Community (see footnote 2). It should be noted that the statements in these guidelines refer only to the application of Directive 89/686/EEC unless otherwise indicated. All parties concerned should be aware of other requirements, which may also apply (see Article 5 (6)(a).

The PPE directive is a “New Approach” directive laying down Basic Health and Safety Requirements (BHSR) and leaving it to standards, primarily European harmonised standards, to give technical expression of the relevant requirements contained in the directive.

Version April 2010