Workwear garment manufacturer Ballyclare Limited has confirmed the process used to manufacture life-saving workwear supplied to the fire, rail, general industrial and oil and gas sectors is accredited to Article 11B of the PPE Directive.
This ensures Ballyclare is already well placed to meet the requirements of the regulatory changes covering complex PPE garments that will come into force in April next year.
New PPE Regulations
The regulation changes will require garment manufacturers such as Ballyclare to move from compliance with the current PPE Directive, and satisfy the more stringent requirements of the new and mandatory PPE Regulations.
“Essentially, Article 11B is an externally-audited accreditation system which monitors the production of complex, life-saving PPE to ensure the quality of the finished garment,” explains Ballyclare Operations Director, Dawn Scott. “We have held Article 11B accreditation since 2011, and so we’re perfectly placed to satisfy the new regulations, and have been for a considerable time.”
Strict quality control
“Article 11B provides confidence that products such as our structural firefighter suits and other life-saving garments are produced under our strict quality controls. To achieve compliance, our various manufacturing, design and head office facilities are independently assessed by BSI.” adds Dawn.
“These assessments cover many different aspects of our operations, such as the actual manufacturing processes and the quality control measures we use. Fortunately, our existing operating methods mean we’ll easily be able to provide the information required for next year’s assessment. The new regulations will also put a strong emphasis on the technical files which a manufacturer such as ourselves must provide for scrutiny, but we’re proud to say our own technical files already meet the requirements for the forthcoming changes.
“We are ahead of the game and fully prepared for the changes in the market. As a result, our customers know they can continue to purchase and use Ballyclare products, safe in the knowledge they are already, and will continue to be, fully compliant.”
