The British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) launched their Check-Select-Protect campaign in October 2022, which urges buyers and end users of PPE and safety equipment to follow a simple process to ensure that the products they are buying are fit for purpose. As a BSIF registered safety supplier, we know how important it is to make sure your PPE reaches regulations to protect you and your employees to the highest standard to prevent the possibility of accidents and injuries. The scheme also reassures us that our safety products and PPE are performing correctly and helps us to meet the obligations under PPE legislation to ensure it is suitable and fit for purpose. At Greenham, we are dedicated and take the health and safety of our customers seriously.

The BSIF shield gives you the confidence that Greenham:

  • Will only sell certified PPE.
  • We meet the obligations and responsibilities required by the PPE regulations.
  • We submit our products for additional independent performance testing.
  • We educate our employees in the BSIF/NEBOSH safe supply course & qualification.
  • We maintain a quality policy and hold all the necessary qualifications and authorisations for service provision.
  • Further, being part of BSIF, a registered safety supplier we have committed that we will always trade honestly and ethically.

Check, Select, Protect Steps

The first step when choosing PPE is to simply find out if your supplier is a member of the BSIF’s registered Safety Supplier Scheme, which Greenham are a part of. Then it is important to follow the three easy steps below to ensure you are getting safety equipment which is compliant:

1.            CHECK your supplier is BSIF registered. BSIF audited suppliers are compliant, competent, and trustworthy.

2.            SELECT appropriate, certified, and approved products. registered Safety Suppliers can support the product selection process through their competence, capability, and knowledge.

3.            PROTECT your people, your most precious asset, and help your business to thrive.

It is so important to follow these three steps to ensure you and your employees have the correct level of protection when at work. When purchasing PPE your supplier should be able to assist you in every aspect as they should be experts in their field.

Compliance

Part of the challenge when selecting which PPE to buy and where from is that it is sometimes almost impossible to distinguish between non-compliant and compliant products. It is easy to assume that if products look like PPE and safety equipment and are marketed as such, they will provide the protection that’s needed. However, mounting evidence shows that this is not always the case, and the use of ineffective products that put people at risk of injury, or worse, is on the rise. With an ever-increasing number of vendors selling PPE and safety products in the UK and surveillance resources stretched, the use of ineffective PPE and safety equipment that puts people at risk of injury, or worse. Therefore, it is right to look for companies that do specify the scheme. The BSIF has been tackling this problem for many years, but the pandemic shone a light on how easily substandard products can find their way onto the market, with reports suggesting the UK government wasted hundreds of millions of pounds on poor quality and unusable PPE during the global health crisis.

While PPE became a subject of national interest during the pandemic, substandard PPE and safety equipment is an issue that the BSIF deal with daily. In the period June 2021 to May 2022, BSIF sourced, assessed, and tested 160 products outside of their members and 144 of which either didn’t pass the testing or did not have compliant markings of supporting documentation. This represents an alarming 89% failure rate and suggests there could be a large volume of products regularly in use in the UK that may not be fit for purpose.

Under PPE Regulations, buyers of PPE and safety equipment have a responsibility to ensure that the products they buy are compliant, but many buyers don’t have the knowledge and resources to validate suppliers’ claims. We want to offer our help and support when purchasing PPE from us so you can be sure it is compliant and of a high quality.

BSIF CEO Alan Murray comments: “However you are sourcing your PPE and safety equipment, checking whether your vendor is a registered Safety Supplier is a quick and easy way of ensuring they are committed to high standards of operation and are compliant with relevant regulations. Remember, anyone can sell safety, but you shouldn’t buy safety from just anyone. Always specify the shield.”

Visit our website to find out more about how we can keep you safe with high quality and compliant products.

References:

https://www.flipsnack.com/E59F88BBDC9/bsif-guide-2023-flipsnack/full-view.html

https://www.flipsnack.com/E59F88BBDC9/health-safety-matters-october-november-2022/full-view.html