COUNTERFEIT, FRAUDULENT & SUSPECT ITEMS POLICY - DELTAWAITE LTD

1. PURPOSE

To ensure that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is legal and supporting documentation is genuine and relates directly to the stated performance and standard (BS, EN & ISO) of the equipment.

2. RESPONSIBILITY

It is the responsibility of the Purchasing Manager to ensure that this procedure is followed.

3. INTRODUCTION

3.1. All PPE must be supplied with instructions for use and be tested and marked with a relevant conformity mark – UKCA for Great Britain;
3.2. PPE must be supplied with User Instructions;
3.3. PPE must be supplied with a Declaration of Conformity or a link to a website where a Declaration can be downloaded.

Without the above, it is illegal to use as protective equipment in the workplace.

4. CERTIFICATE VALIDATION & VERIFICATION

4.1. Upon purchasing from a new supplier or new item from an existing supplier, a request is made to see and/or obtain a copy of the Certification relating to the product, the User Instructions and Declaration of Conformity;
4.2. The documentation provided is checked against the Certificate Checklist – see Addendum A;
4.3. If ‘No’ has been answered to one or more of the questions in the checklist contact is immediately made with the PPE supplier for advice;
4.4. To confirm authenticity of a certificate contact can be made with the Notified or Approved Body relating to any certificate.

5. DECLARATION of CONFORMITY VALIDATION & VERIFICATION

5.1. The Declaration of Conformity is not a quality certificate or guarantee of safety but is a declaration by the manufacturer that the PPE specified on the Declaration of Conformity complies with the requirements of the relevant legislation;
5.2. The Declaration must include certain information and be issued by the manufacturer of the PPE;
5.3. Declarations of Conformity are checked against the Declaration of Conformity Checklist – see Addendum B;
5.4. If ‘No’ has been answered to one or more of the questions in the checklist contact is immediately made with the PPE supplier or the listed Manufacturer/Authorised representative.

6. NON CONFORMING DOCUMENTS

There are a number of organisations globally that offer conformance documentation based on their own assessment of the products.

These documents should not be mistaken for CE/UKCA/UKNI Certification of Conformity. The wording used on these documents should be assessed e.g.  Verification of Conformance and Conformance Certificate are not Declarations of Conformity.

Should additional guidance be required to verify/validate a document BSIF should be contacted.  Examples of conforming documents are shown in Addendum C.

Addendum A - Certificate Checklist.
Addendum B - Declaration of Conformity Checklist.
Addendum C - Examples of Conforming Documents.