Widespread Non Compliance Identified Across UK Market
New market surveillance data published by the British Safety Industry Federation BSIF reveals that 82 percent of personal protective equipment sourced from non registered suppliers failed to meet UK safety and regulatory standards during testing conducted between January 2025 and January 2026.
A total of 88 products were evaluated across 116 separate assessments. Only 18 percent met full compliance requirements relating to technical performance, certification, documentation, and correct product marking under UK PPE regulations.
High failure rates were recorded across PPE categories, including:
- 100% failure of hearing protection and fall protection equipment
- 94% of head protection products non-compliant
- 86% of eye and face protection products failing key tests
- 84% of respiratory protective equipment with ineffective filters
- 84% of protective clothing and high-visibility garments failing standards
- 79% of safety footwear non-compliant
- 83% of hand protection products inadequate
- 91% of sports and motorcycle protective equipment failed testing
Critical failure modes included inadequate impact resistance, poor filter performance, incorrect markings and misleading documentation, all posing significant risks to wearer safety.
BSIF CEO John Hooker emphasised the risk this presents to worker safety, stating that these results “should concern anyone responsible for worker health and safety,” as non-compliant PPE may not perform as claimed when needed most.
In contrast, PPE products from suppliers in the BSIF Registered Safety Supplier Scheme demonstrated an industry-leading 96% compliance rate, underlining the value of verified supply chains and robust documentation.
BSIF is urging all PPE buyers, specifiers and duty holders to verify supplier credentials, closely scrutinise documentation, and prioritise products displaying the Registered Safety Supplier shield as an assurance of compliance and quality
Find the BSIF full article here
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