Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are products that the user wears or holds, to be protected against specific sources of hazards at work, at home or whilst engaging in any activity.

Regulation (EU) 2016/425 of 9.3.2016 regulates the design and manufacture of PPE and specifies the essential safety and health requirements that the same must satisfy to safeguard their free movement in the European and especially the Cyprus market. It defines the legal obligations of manufacturers, importers and distributors and ensures that PPE placed on the European and especially the Cyprus market provide a high level of protection against risks. The CE marking affixed to PPE provides evidence of compliance.

The PPE Regulation is applicable as from 21.4.2018, replacing the Directive 89/686/EEC for PPE.

The European Commission prepared a relevant Guide to assist the industry dealing with the design and manufacture of PPE to uniformly understand and correctly implement the PPE Regulation.

The Guide explains the provisions of the Regulation and provides relevant examples. The Guide also includes a table of PPE categorisation for easy reference. The Guide is non-binding.

Department of Labour Inspection
Last updated 31.7.2020