COSHH and RPE Standards

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should be issued as a last line of defence

Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) should only be used in the workplace after all other reasonably practicable measures to prevent or control exposure to harmful substances have been implemented.

Regulations

The Health and Safety Work etc Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 set out the basic requirements for employers to provide and maintain a safe working environment, so far as is reasonably practicable.

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) regulations sets out the legal requirements to protect workers from health risks caused from hazardous substances at work. COSHH states that, where it is not reasonably practicable to prevent exposure to a hazardous substance, control of that exposure should only be treated as adequate if:

The principles of good practice for the control of exposure are applied
Any workplace exposure limit (WEL) is not exceeded
For a substance that has the potential to cause cancer or occupational asthma exposure is reduced to as low a level as is reasonably practicable

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Employers Responsibility

Employers have a duty to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment and take steps to ensure they prevent or adequately control exposure. Going through the risk assessment process, required by law, can determine whether the use of RPE is necessary in your workplace.

RPE may need to be used to satisfy requirements in the following pieces of legislations, additional to the COSHH Regulations 2022. These need to be considered as to whether the regulations apply to you and comply with any specific requirements they contain on RPE:

Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012
Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002
Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999
Confined Spaces Regulations 1997

To be compliant, RPE used in the workplace must be CE-marked. This ensures the piece of equipment has been manufactured in accordance with the Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 2002 and meets the minimum legal requirements for its design. Whilst the four-digital code is used to identify the body responsible for checking manufacturing quality, it does not indicate that the piece of equipment is adequate or suitable for use in the workplace. It is the employers' responsibility to select the correct RPE to meet the specific requirements.

Is PPE the Right Control?

RPE can be uncomfortable to wear and interfere with work, which can lead to incorrect use. It is important for any RPE provided to be worn properly and maintained to ensure the wearer receives the required protection.

You should only select and use RPE:

Where an inhalation exposure risk remains after you have put in place other reasonable control
While you are putting in place other control measures
For emergency work or temporary failure of controls where other means of control are not reasonably practicable
For short-term or infrequent exposure, such as maintenance work, where you decide that other controls at the source of the exposure are not reasonably practicable

Respiratory Protective Equipment EN Standards

For effective protection which complies with the legal standards, you must ensure that your chosen equipment has been tested to the relevant EN standards for RPE:

BS EN 136

Full face masks.

BS EN 137

Self-contained open-circuit compressed air breathing apparatus with full face mask.

BS EN 140

Half masks and quarter masks.

BS EN 143

Particle filters.

BS EN 149

Filtering half masks to protect against particles.

BS EN 402

Self-contained open-circuit compressed air breathing apparatus with full face mask or mouthpiece assembly for escape.

BS EN 403

Filtering devices with hood for escape from fire.

BS EN 405

Valved filtering half masks to protect against gases or gases and particles.

BS EN 1146

Self-contained open-circuit compressed air breathing apparatus with a hood for escape.

BS EN 12941

Powered filtering devices with a hood or a helmet.

BS EN 12942

Power assisted filtering devices with full face, half or quarter masks.

BS EN 14387

Gas filter(s) and combined filter(s).

BS EN 14594

Continuous flow compressed air line breathing devices.

More from Arco

Product Selection

Selecting both adequate and suitable RPE is vital to ensure the correct level of protection is issued. One size facepiece does not fit all which is why it’s important to supply RPE that is specific for the risk and best fits the wearer.

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Our Range

Our extensive range of respiratory protection equipment offers protection against a variety of hazards, is designed to suit a variety of work situations and available in a variety of styles to match the requirements of the wearer.

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