· IRATA Training Manual

CE marking & certification

CE marking

All Personal Protective Equipment must be CE marked. For Category III PPE, CE marking indicates that the product has been independently type tested and meets the basic requirements of the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992.

Certification requirements

A Certificate of Conformity should be obtained for the product, stating that it meets the requirements and conforms to any standard it claims to meet.

The PPE Regulations require:

  • The product must undergo independent type testing to a particular standard.
  • The manufacturer must install a quality management standard such as ISO 9000, or
  • The manufacturer must subject the product to regular batch testing at an approved test house.

Key EN / BS standards for rope access

Some standards are under revision — check BSI for the most current revisions.

StandardSubject
EN 166Personal eye protection — specifications
EN 341Descender devices
EN 352Hearing protectors
EN 353-1 / 2Guided fall arresters (rigid / flexible anchorage line)
EN 354Lanyards
EN 355Energy absorbers
EN 358Work-positioning systems
EN 360Retractable fall arresters
EN 361Full-body harnesses
EN 362Connectors
EN 363Fall arrest systems
EN 364Test methods
EN 365General requirements for instructions and marking
EN 397Industrial safety helmets
EN 564Mountaineering accessory cord
EN 565Mountaineering tape
EN 566Mountaineering slings
EN 567Mountaineering rope clamps (ascenders)
EN 568 / 569Ice anchors / pitons
EN 696 / 701Polyamide / general fibre ropes
EN 795Anchor devices
EN 813Sit harnesses
EN 892Dynamic mountaineering ropes
EN 958Via-ferrata energy absorbers
EN 959Rock anchors
BS EN 1492-2Textile roundslings
EN 1496 / 1497 / 1498Rescue lifting devices / harnesses / loops
EN 1891Low-stretch kernmantel ropes
BS 7883Code of practice for EN 795 anchors (design, install, use, maintain)
BS 7985Code of Practice for rope access methods for industrial purposes
BS 8437Personal fall protection systems and equipment for the workplace
BS 8454Delivery of training and education for work at height and rescue
EN 12275Mountaineering connectors
EN 12277Mountaineering harnesses
EN 12278Mountaineering pulleys
EN 12492Mountaineering helmets
EN 12841Rope adjustment devices for work positioning
EN 45014Suppliers' declaration of conformity