OPSS Targets PPE and Gives Production Advice

The U.K. Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) May 7 explained its recent work towards ensuring supply of safe personal protective equipment (PPE). This included (bit.ly/2A6AZ1P) recent seizure of some 1 million masks for giving insufficient protection as well as detention of 700,000 masks for suspected quality, marking and certification violations. It noted an uptick in counterfeits.

It issued two PPE production guides, one for small-scale manufacturers (bit.ly/2WzTTpv) and one for large-volume (bit.ly/35RdUw9). Those give advice such as defining PPE, deciding eligibility to make various PPE, particular considerations for COVID-19 protection, needs for conformity assessments, understanding various PPE customers, and understanding approvals for sales and donations.

It quoted executive director Graham Russell as asserting:

"We are committed to supporting legitimate businesses who are working hard to increase the supply of PPE to health and social care settings. But anyone setting out to supply unsafe PPE, with fake certification and false safety marks, needs to know we take a zero-tolerance approach."

"We will use all necessary enforcement powers to make sure unsafe PPE does not enter the supply chain and will take action against importers who set out to flout important safety rules."