Posted on 3rd December 2019

The British safety industry federation has reported an area of risk around fake CE logos; Chinese Export logos masquerading as ‘conformite europeene’. 

What is CE certification?

To be sold in the European Union, a product must have a CE mark. The CE mark indicates conformity with health, safety, and environmental protection standards for products sold within the European Economic Area (EEA). CE marking applies to all products, ranging from electrical equipment to toys and from civil explosives to medical devices. If a product has the CE mark it does not mean that the product was made in the EEA, but states that the product is assessed before being placed on the market. 

European standards are in place for a wide range of PPE from protective clothing against chemicals, heat and flames, to head protective helmets, eye protection, gloves and safety footwear. Many regions outside of the EU are increasingly turning towards the CE mark to show that the product is up to standard and has been tested comprehensively.

 

If your product is certified it means;

 

The product meets minimum performance specifications defined in legally recognised standards applied throughout Europe.

A product has been subjected to a series of tests on physical characteristics and finished product performance according to application or protective tape

 

How do we know if the product is correctly CE certified or not?

All CE certified products should feature a label with everything you need

The info shown on the label should be very specific, this is a legal requirement. Each product type, whether it be protective gloves, glasses or boots has its own specific labelling or marking requirements.

 

 

Fake CE Logos

Sometimes, alongside the CE mark can be seen a code which represents the ID number of the respective Notified body needed for conducting the product’s certification.

The CE “Chinese export” mark can be seen on some, not all, products produced in and exported from China. The mark is with a similar design, and if you don’t know how to distinguish it from the real CE mark, it can look identical to you. As a result, y

ou can think that your product is CE marked and safe to use. The “Chinese export” mark is not an official European mark and is considered as fake. Many factories in China apply that mark on their products and afterwards, put them on the market. Such products haven’t had any risk assessment, safety evaluation, or testing. They haven’t been certified against the relevant CE standards, and their placing on the EU market is seen as an illegal act. As overall, products bearing the CE “China Export” mark vary in quality from being acceptable to completely dangerous in their design. A good example of products on which you can very often see this mark is the power supplies.

 

New legislation came about in 2016 evolving from a loose directive, outlining that responsibility lies with all ECONOMIC OPERATORS to comply with PPE supply chain standards.  The new terminology ‘ALL ECONOMIC OPERATORS’ now places responsibility for compliance throughout the entire supply chain manufacturer, wholesaler to distributor. To keep you compliant and your business away from risk, BSIF membership will provide spot checks of products and on site checks. Read more here

 

To read the Lakeland article click the following link – Lakeland CE Certification

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