As a safety officer, you'll be familiar with the CE marking system.
It's the system used to demonstrate that products comply with the relevant EU safety, health and environmental requirements.
But why do you need to worry about CE marking on your tool lanyards ?
Let us explain:
Tool lanyards you can trust
If you're relying on any piece of equipment to keep people safe, you need to trust it.
A tool tethering system needs to be well designed and fit for purpose. There's no point in having a tool lanyard if it fails when a tool is actually dropped.
By choosing tool lanyards with CE marking you're investing in equipment that's been rigorously tested. NLG tool lanyards are independently tested by a UKAS accredited test laboratory that completes CE type approval testing.
Quality vs. price
With budgets under pressure, we know that you'll be looking for the most cost-effective tool tethering system. But just remember that cheap doesn't necessarily equate to cost-effective. Buying cheap tool tethering systems is a false economy and can put people in danger.
Here's why:
Cheaper products typically won't be as robust and won't have undergone the same rigorous testing. In turn, this means they won't last as long and there are no guarantees that they'll do what they're supposed to.
Using cheap tool tethers and lanyards that aren't CE marked can give your team a false sense of security. It could make them think they are protected when they're not. But we know your commitment to safety is deeper than that.
In reality, inferior tool lanyards often fail. When that happens there can be serious consequences.
Regulatory compliance
As set out in the PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425 , which covers all Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) manufacturing, the tool lanyards and tethering equipment must have the appropriate quality controls in place during production to ensure the safety equipment supplied is identical to the PPE that has been tested.
With the independent third-party testing, a strict test criterion is followed by the test laboratory in accordance with EN 364:1992 test methods and a EU Declaration of Conformity is produced if the PPE meets all of the required measures. Dynamic drop performance testing is conducted at 2:1 weight safety factor for tool lanyards and tether points. Static strength testing is conducted at 5:1 weight safety factor for containers and storage equipment.
This way you can be confident that all your drop prevention equipment is fit for purpose and has an additional safety factor built in for extra security.
CE marking post-Brexit
We still don't know what shape the UK's exit from the EU will take. But there's no suggestion that CE marking will be replaced in the UK post-Brexit.
It's a standard that's recognised across the European Economic Area (EEA) and one that's long been associated with quality and safety.
Investing in CE marked tool lanyards and tethering systems shows that you're committed to safety. It's as simple as that.