Who are the BSIF?

The British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) is the UK independent Trade Association for the safety/PPE industry. Established in 1994, the federation consists of approximately 400 members that cover all aspects involving the supply of Safety equipment/PPE and allied services. Its membership includes manufacturers, importers, distributors, all Economic operators involved in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Safety equipment supply. It is also a home for accredited test houses & PPE certification bodies (UK Approved bodies).

As the leading association for the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Regulation 2016/425 BSIF gives non-biased guidance on PPE/Safety Regulation/compliance. Strong Government ties with the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) allows BSIF to help influence and guide and to keep its members informed on PPE/Safety regulation, post-Brexit legislation, and any future possible policy changes.

BSIF has close relations with UK market surveillance authorities: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Trading Standards, the latter through a Primary Authority status partnership.

No matter which direction the pull/push comes from within the sector BSIF are a positive force for good for the UK Safety industry and for the UK’s workforce.

What is the registered Safety Supplier Scheme?

To help give assurances to those that procure PPE & Safety Equipment BSIF audit members under what is known as The ‘registered Safety Supplier Scheme’ through this scheme a strict annual audit protocol is set for members to enable them to prove alignment with their regulatory/legislative requirements & obligations. The schemes ongoing mission seeks to improve the quality of product and the capability of suppliers in the safety/PPE market. 

All eligible BSIF members that participate in the RSSS schemes audit assessment commit to supply only safety equipment and/or related services that fully comply with the standards and regulations and claims made relating to those products and/or related services.

Members also commit their customer facing staff to become qualified in ‘Safety’ by undergoing a NEBOSH endorsed BSIF qualification in safe supply – called the ‘Safe Supply course & Qualification’. This nationally recognised qualification enables our staff to speak about PPE/Safety from a position of knowledge, which builds trust and strong partnerships. We proudly display the scheme’s collective mark to show that we are a compliant trustworthy supply chain partner.

At Greenham, we are proud to be a BSIF registered Safety Supplier. Which helps give our customer base the assurance that whatever Safety/PPE product they procure through us it is going to perform as it should and protect the end user and the company procuring. 

Sadly, many PPE/Safety items falsely claim to have CE/UKCA approvals without the proper certification/Declarations/documentation. Additionally counterfeit products are being sold into the UK market every day, altogether posing great risk to end users.

BSIF actively seek out suspect items of PPE/Safety equipment, with help from its members, the public and secret shopping, the items are procured, the seller challenged to provide documentation/evidence of compliance whilst the product itself is sent for testing a UKAS approved lab to prove/disprove compliance to the relevant/claimed standards. In 2020 alone BSIF reported over 350 spurious sellers directly to market surveillance authorities. In 2023 a case resulted in a ‘fake mask’ seller receiving a two-year prison sentence. Unfortunately, UK Market surveillance can be reactive and has undoubtedly suffered much over the years due to lack of resource. More reason the registered Safety Supplier Scheme is so important to the UK to validate the PPE/Safety supply chain.  

Companies that display the BSIF shield have made a formal binding declaration that the safety equipment they provide adheres to the relevant standards, complies with PPE regulations, and carries the appropriate CE/UKCA marking.

We are also constantly investing in our client facing teams knowledge skills and abilities, enabling them to provide specialist advice on PPE and Safety equipment. This means we can be depended upon to trade honestly and ethically and go above and beyond to support customers whilst procuring PPE and safety equipment.

We therefore we fully commend the BSIF national clarion to ‘Check, Select & Protect’ whenever you procure PPE/Safety Equipment:

CHECK  You are using a registered Safety Supplier

SELECT Compliant/Certified products

PROTECT Those that are using the product and yourself

ANYONE CAN SELL SAFETY, BUT YOU SHOULDN’T BUY SAFETY FROM JUST ANYONE. ALWAYS SPECIFY THE SHIELD.  

To find out more contact your local Service Centre or learn more on our Quality and Compliance page.