Frequently Asked Questions About the Testing and

Certification of Personal Protective Equipment

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1. What is a declaration of conformity?

With a declaration of conformity, a manufacturer declares that his products meet all applicable
European regulatory requirements. The declaration of conformity is the result of a conformity
assessment during which the product is examined for its compliance with the required specifications.
This is done by means of the EC type certification.
Our experts support you with the conformity assessment and test your products according to the
relevant EC regulations, such as the PPE Directive 89/686/EEC and all applicable harmonized
standards for PPE products.
By affixing the CE Mark on the product, the manufacturer visibly shows his declaration of conformity.

2. What is a CE Mark?
The abbreviation „CE“ means “Communauté Européenne”, which is French for „European
Community“. With the CE Mark, the manufacturer documents the conformity of his products with the
European regulatory requirements, i.e. that his goods meet the safety requirements of the European
Union. This was introduced to simplify the movement of goods within Europe. The CE Mark is a
prerequisite for the marketing of all products on the European markets.

Important: TÜV Rheinland does not issue CE Marks. The CE Mark is a declaration of the
manufacturer at his sole responsibility to the market surveillance and to the consumers that his
products conform to all applicable European guidelines. TÜV Rheinland supports manufacturers in
four steps along the way.

3. What is an EC type certification?

The EC type examination is the procedure by which a recognized test center such as TÜV Rheinland
assesses and certifies that the PPE product complies with the relevant regulations in the PPE
Directive 89/686/EEC.
For PPE products in category II and III, the EC type certification is mandatory.
4. How are PPE products classified by risk groups?
Annex I of the PPE Directive 89/686/EEC specifies three PPE categories. The classification of the
PPE products into a certain risk group depends on the expected severity of injury, which the protective
equipment is expected to protect against. You can find more details about the differences of these
individual PPE categories on our website.

The categorization of each PPE product is not always clear.

5. What is a Notified Body?

A Notified Body is a testing and certification body that is authorized to test, monitor and certify
products, machines and equipment. In addition, recognized regulatory bodies are authorized to
support and conduct conformity assessments by manufacturers.
In Germany, the Notified Bodies are appointed and overseen by the Central Authority of the Federal
States for Safety (ZLS).
TÜV Rheinland LGA Products GmbH is an appointed Notified Body in the area of personal protective
equipment.