Preparing businesses for new regulation on personal protective equipment

RS Components is ready to support customers with a range of 3M Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), specifically hearing-protection products, to help businesses comply with the new regulation on PPE. Along with other risks such as physical, chemical or mechanical hazards, as well as heat and flames or flying particles, a key area now officially recognised in the new legislation is noise, especially for those working in industrial environments or the construction industry. On April 21, 2018, the current PPE Directive (89/686/EEC) – which has been fully applicable since July 1995 – is replaced by the new PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425. A key change within the new regulation is that hearing protection has been redefined as ‘harmful noise’ and is now officially recognised as an irreversible health hazard. Accordingly, it has also been moved into the most serious risk category – Category III, which puts it in the same level of high-risk categorisation as respiratory protection and fall protection. As well as helping awareness of the new regulation, the company is putting in place key hearing protection products from leading manufacturers such as 3M.