As a professional buyer, you surely understand the importance of protecting your workers from workplace hazards, and that selecting the right Personal Protective Equipment (also known as PPE) is a must for maintaining a safe work environment.
However, selecting the right PPE is only the tip of the iceberg. As a buyer, you should always make sure to purchase from reputable European PPE suppliers who can provide high-quality personal protective equipment that is compliant with European safety standards (EU) 2016/425.
Of course, we know that with the sheer number of PPE suppliers available in Europe, it can be challenging to find just the right ones that cater to your use cases without breaking the bank.
In this article, we’ll provide tips and insights on how to find trustworthy PPE suppliers in Europe, covering everything from researching suppliers, assessing the quality of their PPE supplies, and understanding PPE standards and regulations.
Here is what you’re about to read:
- What Is The EU Regulation On Personal Protective Equipment?
- How To Assess PPE Quality
- Evaluating PPE Suppliers: Work Smarter, Not Harder
- List Of Recommended European PPE Suppliers
What Is The EU Regulation On Personal Protective Equipment?
The European Union has established stringent regulations for PPE supplies to ensure that they meet high levels of safety and performance. It is therefore a must for you to have a thorough understanding of the European PPE standards and regulations.
As a start, the CE marking is the first thing you should be on the lookout for. By this mark, the supplier declares that their PPE product meets all the essential health and safety requirements outlined in the (EU) 2016/425. If you want to read more about the EU PPE regulation, read our previous blog post: Ensuring Safety and Compliance: A Look at Industrial PPE Regulations in the EU.
In addition to the CE marking, there are more classifications that apply to specific types of personal protective equipment, and these are based on the type of hazard that the PPE is designed to protect against.
Here are some examples:
- Respiratory Protection: EN 149:2001+A1:2009
- Eye and Face Protection: EN 166:2001
- Hearing Protection: EN 352-1:2002
- Protective Clothing: EN 14126:2003 and EN 13034:2005+A1:2009
- Gloves: EN 420:2003+A1:2009 and EN 388:2016
- Footwear: EN ISO 20345:2011
- Head Protection: EN 397:2012+A1:2012
In any case, be mindful to always select the right PPE for your specific use cases and settings.
For instance, even if a face mask is certified and compliant with EU safety regulations, that’s not enough to make it the best choice for your use case. Dust masks are not designed to protect against toxic particles (found among others in laboratory settings or healthcare), and surgical masks don’t offer adequate protection against dust and other small particles (typical of construction sites).
You can read more about selecting the right PPE supplies for your industry and use cases in our previous blog post: Keeping Workers Safe: How To Select The Right Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Next, we will share some effective best practices for assessing the quality of personal protective equipment.
How To Assess PPE Quality
Before you proceed with a large purchase, it’s always wise to assess the quality of the PPE products. This can be done by considering four key factors: durability, effectiveness, comfort, and ease of use.
- Durability: of course, when you commit to a large purchase, you want to first ensure that the products you’re buying will withstand the wear and tear of daily use. This could involve simulating the product’s intended use, such as exposing it to harsh environmental conditions or repetitive physical strain, to see how well it holds up over time. For example, if you are evaluating the durability of a pair of safety gloves, you might test them by having workers wear them during their daily activities over an extended period, and assessing how well the gloves resist wear, tears, or other damage. This can give you a good sense of how long the gloves will last under real-world conditions, and help you determine if they are worth the investment.
- Effectiveness: PPE products are designed to protect workers from various hazards, and it goes without saying that you should always make sure that the products you choose are effective in their intended use. For instance, consider the degree to which they protect against specific hazards, like impact, heat, or chemicals. The effectiveness of PPE can be influenced by a range of factors, such as design, material selection, and construction quality.
- Comfort: workers are more likely to wear PPE that is comfortable and doesn’t restrict their movement. So, when you’re evaluating PPE supplies, consider factors like weight, size, and adjustability. Whenever possible, choose equipment that fits well and can be adjusted to suit different body types. Workers are more likely to wear PPE equipment that is comfortable and fits well, which can improve overall safety outcomes.
- Ease of use: PPE supplies should be easy to use and maintain. Workers are more likely to wear PPE that is easy to put on and take off, clean, and store. So, always look for products that have clear instructions for use and that can be easily cleaned and stored between uses. To learn more about this, read our previous blog post: From Usage to Disposal: A Complete Guide to PPE Procedures.
Evaluating PPE Suppliers: Work Smarter, Not Harder
So far, we’ve established that to identify the best suppliers, it’s important to first understand your unique PPE necessities based on your use cases and industry-specific hazards. But what happens once you have identified all PPE categories and products that your inventory needs?
As we mentioned, with the sheer amount of PPE suppliers on the market, it can be quite daunting to find the best products at the best prices. And this is exactly where a marketplace like Droppe can make the difference.
Droppe is a wholesale marketplace for industrial supplies where you can easily source over 150,000 products from 100+ vetted European suppliers and compare their catalogues based on their selection, price, delivery time, and much more.
So, rather than spending countless hours negotiating with different suppliers, you now have their selections and offers in one single place. Plus, there are no geographical limitations, so your supplier pool will expand throughout Europe.
Once you’ve found the right suppliers, it will only take you a moment to proceed to purchase the products in wholesale quantities. Droppe will take care of all the details, from payment to order handling, so you can focus on what really matters – keeping your workers safe.
Whether you’re looking for masks, gloves, safety glasses, or any other type of PPE product, you can give Droppe a try today and see how easy it can be to source high-quality PPE supplies in Europe.
And what if you don’t find exactly what you’re looking for? We’re constantly adding new products to our extensive catalogue, so don’t hesitate to reach out to our experts and ask for a custom quote.
List Of Recommended European PPE Suppliers
When looking for new go-to PPE suppliers, it’s important to consider factors such as product quality, compliance with European safety regulations, and pricing.
To help you out, here is a list of 5 of our top-rated European PPE suppliers. Their products are well-known for being high quality, affordable, tested, and designed to meet the latest PPE regulations in Europe.
- Dimex: browse the full PPE catalogue
- Portwest: browse their PPE catalogue
- Tegera: browse their PPE gloves catalogue
- Nitras: browse their PPE catalogue
- Fristads: browse their PPE catalogue
And if you’d like to browse our full PPE catalogue, here are the main PPE product categories you can find on Droppe:
- PPE gloves
- PPE face masks & respirators
- PPE safety glasses
- PPE hearing protectors
- PPE helmets & hard hats
- PPE workwear
Conclusion
All in all, buying from the right PPE suppliers is important for ensuring the safety and well-being of your employees.
When you learn to source the right PPE and evaluate suppliers through a wholesale marketplace like Droppe, you will find all the best suppliers that meet your specific needs in no time.
So, don’t forget to browse our extensive PPE catalogue to find all the best deals for your use cases and compare 100+ European suppliers in one single place. If you need help or would like to receive a custom quote, do not hesitate to reach out to our experts.
