The Health and Safety Executive has recently issued new guidance covering when you will have to specify equipment which is certified to the new UKCA (UK Certification Authority) PPE standards. This change allows CE-marked equipment to continue to be specified and put in use as PPE until 1 January 2025. There are also two important exemptions which will continue to apply after this date:
- Qualifying Northern Ireland goods can continue to be placed on the GB market bearing the CE marking or CE and UKNI markings after 1 January 2025;
- CE-marked PPE that was placed on the UK or EU markets before 1 January 2025 (before the expiry of the Transition Period) and has not yet reached its end user may continue to circulate on either market until it reaches them and UKCA applies
As it stands all buyers will need to ensure that new PPE meets the UKCA standard after 01/01/2025 but please be aware that PPE that is CE-marked, and was placed on the market on or before 31 December 2024, can continue to be used, providing that it is otherwise suitable.
HSE has further guidance on both the above transitions and the choices of PPE in general on its website here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/ppe/product-safety-and-supply.htm
You can find further information on our blog as regards PPE at the following links:
