Are you exhibiting at A+A 2023?

Highlighting the importance of having personal protective equipment products tested before the show.

One of the most important trade shows for anyone interested in safety footwear or other personal protective equipment (PPE) is the A+A Health and Safety exhibition, which this year is scheduled to be held on October 24th to 27th in the German city of Düsseldorf. This impressive biennial fair – once again located in the Messe Düsseldorf complex – is extremely important to suppliers and buyers of PPE and is probably the largest of its kind in the world. The 2021 event attracted over 25,000 visitors who discussed their requirements with 1,204 exhibiting companies from 56 nations. As usual, this year’s show will focus on ‘safety at work’, ‘security at work’ and ‘health at work’.

As all PPE items to be placed on the European Union market must be produced in line with the (EU) 2016/425 regulation – or, for the United Kingdom, under the ‘United Kingdom Conformity Assessed’ (UKCA) legislation – it is imperative that they are shown to meet the latest requirements. This may call for testing and subsequent certification from a Notified Body (or an ‘Approved Body’ in the UK). Both of these important roles are filled by SATRA.

SATRA is one of the leading organisations for the European CE marking and UKCA marking of PPE, and has been influential in the development of PPE-related test methods and safety standards. SATRA’s testing and certification services now extend across most areas of PPE – from safety footwear to head protection, and nearly everything worn in between. Our well-equipped mechanical, chemical, thermal, optical, respiratory and acoustic laboratories are capable of testing most types of personal protective equipment.

Preparing to show your products

The first step in preparing to showcase products at A+A is to review your range in order to identify the priorities for certification, and assess the associated technical files against the criteria laid out in the relevant legislation. It is important that all information is current and validated. As any certification will be based on the current version of the standards, it is recommended that these documents are reviewed to ensure that current product designs are fully compliant. Please let us know if you would like a list of all SATRA EU type-examination or UKCA certificates issued to your company.

Particularly during the months leading up to a major fair like A+A, we test and certify many new products ready for launch. We provide a fast and efficient testing programme to all our customers and can offer constructive help and advice where appropriate to our members. Such assistance, from concept to certification, is often deemed invaluable in reducing development times and quickly acquiring certificates. Please remember that certificates issued in 2018 are now reaching their five-year expiry date, so do check that any you currently hold will still be valid in October.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 16 of the May 2023 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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