The 2002 regulations are aimed at the suppliers of PPE. See this link:
http://www.legislation.g.../2002/1144/contents/made

Yes, basically.

The duties of the supplier fall on the manufacturer, but where the manufacturer has no representative in the EU, they fall on the person putting the equipment on the market. This is explained in the Regs, to which I gave a link.

Shaun

When the European Commission developed its new approach to health and safety in the 1980s there were some issues where essentially two types of Directive came into play. One group was aimed at harmonising manufacturing standards to reduce barriers to trade. These are generally product Directives. They introduced basic health and safety requirements that should apply to equipment put onto the ‘Internal Market’ as it was identified then. These were based on Article 100a of the Treaty of Rome which aimed to promote harmonised standards for equipment to allow its free circulation throughout the EU.

The second kind was aimed at protecting those using the equipment at work by implementing minimum requirements for health and safety. These were based on Article 118a of the Treaty of Rome.

The Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 2002 are based on the Council Directive 89/686/EEC of 21 December 1989 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to personal protective equipment. So – for example – Schedule 2 of the Regulations is a direct replication from the Directive of the Basic Health and Safety Requirements. So manufacturers of PPE must ensure these requirements are met before they – or as Jane pointed out, suppliers - sell their products into the EU market.

The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations1992 are based on the Council Directive 89/656/EEC of 30 November 1989 concerning the minimum safety and health requirements for the use by workers of personal protective equipment at the workplace. It sets out how PPE will be provided for the workers to use. PPE used in the UK – and the rest of the EU – needs to conform to Directive 89/686/EEC.

One defines the minimum requirements for making the PPE as a product; the other sets out the minimum requirements for how the PPE will be used to protect workers. Both the Regulations are therefore linked.

The 2002 Regulations are enforced by the Business, Innovation and Skills Department. Guidance on these regulations can be found at:

www.bis.gov.uk/files/file11263.pdf

Cheers.

Nigel