Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

CoronavirusOH service deliveryHealth and safetyHealth & Safety ExecutiveOccupational Health

Certification body issues warning over ‘fake’ PPE

by Ashleigh Webber 19 May 2020
by Ashleigh Webber 19 May 2020 Shutterstock
Shutterstock

Organisations bringing staff back into the workplace may have unwittingly purchased ineffective personal protective equipment (PPE) that may not offer sufficient protection against coronavirus exposure.

The British Standards Institute warned that a number of manufacturers had been selling medical face masks and other PPE for healthcare settings with “fake” certificates.

Return to work

SOM return-to-work toolkit highlights OH leadership role post pandemic

Health and safety regulator prepares for rush of calls as workplaces reopen

It urged those involved in procurement to verify that safety certificates are genuine by checking that the link at the bottom of the PDF certificate is valid, or looking up the certificate on the BSI VerifEye Directory.

BSI said it had informed Trading Standards and other European regulators about the apparent falsification of safety certificates.

James Pink, a senior director of global health and safety organisation NSF International, told The Guardian newspaper that some manufacturers had been deliberately selling PPE with falsified certificates, while others were mistakenly putting unverified kit on the market.

“The risk is that there is non-conforming product out there giving us all a false assurance of safety,” he said.

“A lot of companies are not used to purchasing PPE, or just do it for occupational risk, rather than protecting against a communicable infectious agent. I’ve reviewed more than 10 companies that have been submitted as being a PPE supplier and there have been inaccuracies in documentation.”

Meanwhile, a report in the i newspaper has alleged that the Health and Safety Executive has not been carrying out inspections of workplaces to check they are operating safely, despite prime minister Boris Johnson’s claims that spot inspections of food outlets, manufacturing plants and construction sites would be taking place.

An HSE spokesperson said: “In line with government guidance to cease all but essential work that cannot be done outside of the home, minimising contact between individuals, HSE has paused all proactive inspections at this time to reduce any risk posed to our own staff and to members of the public.”

Ashleigh Webber
Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is editor at OHW+ and part of the Personnel Today editorial team. Prior to joining Personnel Today in 2018, she covered the road transport sector for Commercial Motor and Motor Transport.

previous post
Unemployment claims jump as vacancies plummet
next post
Tube worker wins £14k after dismissal delays

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may also like

NHS pressures leaving thousands waiting for cancer diagnosis

17 May 2022

Long NHS waits meaning many with long Covid...

17 May 2022

Grants scheme set up to support women’s health...

16 May 2022

Crumbling school buildings ‘risk to life’ suggests leak

16 May 2022

‘Gulf War Syndrome’ caused by release of nerve...

13 May 2022

Workers feeing increasingly anxious, burnt out and fearful...

13 May 2022

Shift workers: knowing the diet-related health risks

12 May 2022

Majority unaware of long-term damage caused by stroke

12 May 2022

Three-quarters not meeting weekly exercise target

11 May 2022

Employers hindering return to work by failing to...

9 May 2022

  • The importance of being an ethical leader and how to become one PROMOTED | What is ethical leadership?...Read more
  • RPO Report: 2022, The Year to Outsource PROMOTED | Employers should be overwhelmed with choice...Read more
  • Report: Enabling organisational agility through talent & people success PROMOTED | Work has been challenged...Read more
  • Employee Trends 2022 report PROMOTED | Edenred research on employees analysed the key employees’ trends for 2022...Read more
  • How finance apprenticeships can boost business PROMOTED | As the world’s most forward-thinking professional accountancy body...Read more
  • Paul Devoy: Showing appreciation to the Investors in People community PROMOTED | Ask most people what comes to mind when you mention Investors in People...Read more
  • White paper: How digitalisation can support evolving occupational health PROMOTED | Download this free white paper to discover how digitalisation can help occupational health meet emerging challenges...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today