CE marks, norms and regulations are important criteria when choosing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Two EC mandatory directives – which must be transposed into national law by all European Union member countries – regulate PPE.

• The European directive on PPE – 89/686 EEC – is the mandatory directive (colloquially called the “Product Directive”). It applies to manufacturing of protective clothing and defines the “essential” requirements that a PPE product shall meet before it can be put onto the market.

  More than 150 harmonised EN standards have been developed by CEN/CENELEC for checking whether a specific PPE item complies with these essential requirements.Requirements above the minimum performance for CE certification may be specified by users with respect to specific particular hazards or other considerations.

  A CE certification, as indicated by the CE mark on the product, tells the end user that the PPE addresses the essential requirements that have been defined for protection against certain hazards in certain uses, as well as appropriate ergonomics, innocuousness and sizing.

• The European directive on the use of PPE – 89/656 EEC – is the mandatory European directive (colloquially called the “User Directive”) that applies for end users of protective clothing. It sets the obligations and regulates the measures that need to be taken by employees and employers to maintain and improve the safety and health of workers in every aspect related to their work.

  The directive regulates risk assessment, the need for preventive measures, training and information, and stipulates that PPE has to be provided free of charge by the employer.It considers the improvement of workers’ safety, hygiene and health at work to be an objective which shall not be subordinated to purely economic considerations.