A Trustworthy Certification Program for PPE delivered by the World’s leading Total Quality Assurance Provider.
Personal protective equipment, commonly referred to as “PPE”, is equipment worn to minimize exposure to a variety of hazards including chemical, medical, radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical, etc., and any health and safety risks.
COVID-19 have further demonstrated the importance of personal protective equipment in healthcare settings and other workplaces. Given its importance, it is critical that organizations ensure their PPE are compliant, safe to use and of good quality.
As organizations around the world rush to meet the surge in PPE demand, a spate of issues has arisen surrounding poor quality and fake PPE entering the supply chain. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s website warns that about 60% of KN95 respirators available in the U.S. are counterfeit. There is even news of governments or importers having procured substandard PPE as they have relied on inaccurate or misleading information.
Intertek Solution – PPE Quality Mark Program
Intertek has developed a unique industry leading PPE Quality Mark Program which is a voluntary certification program to help customers safeguard the quality of PPE through continuous monitoring of production quality which include regular product testing and factory inspection.
Under the program, a PPE Quality Mark showing the testing standard or the guidance and the classification attained (if any), together with a unique QR code that links to the product and production facility information on our PPE CoE Directory, will be granted to successful applicants with an aim to help them demonstrate high quality PPE manufacture with a Mark of Trust and promote the certified quality of their PPE products through third party certification.
Customers are eligible to print the PPE Quality Mark on the packaging of or directly on their certified products.
Intertek PPE Quality Mark is a Mark for Quality and Safety, providing total peace of mind to customers and consumers that the PPE concerned have been independently assured under Intertek’s unique PPE Certification Program through testing, inspection and certification.
Ongoing Certification Maintenance
On top of reviewing the type testing report and other documents required under the Program, there is a robust ongoing surveillance process combining factory inspection and sample testing, to be conducted by Intertek independent inspectors, on a monthly or quarterly basis.
Customers can also opt for the optional market surveillance add-on. Our inspectors will undertake samples from the open market and conduct sample testing to ensure they are up to the desired quality level.
Benefits
There are numerous benefits for PPE buyers, manufacturers, distributors, agents or organizations from the supply and demand sides to join the PPE Quality Mark Program.
Buyers
- End-to-end Total Quality Assurance along PPE supply chain from raw materials to production to retail, providing total peace of mind that the desired quality level is maintained consistently
- A Mark of Trust to quickly identify high quality PPE certified through a robust certification program to save time and cost in sourcing quality and compliant products
- To leverage the program to communicate trusted and transparent quality information to end users including factory information, PPE performance and quality information, etc. and give assurance that the PPE has undergone an independent quality certification
Suppliers
- A trusted tool to demonstrate high quality product manufacture to give total confidence to buyers regarding the quality and safety of PPE
- A quality certificate supporting manufacturers to sell to multiple buyers
- To differentiate PPE in the market with third-party certification
- To improve transparency of PPE production
- To increase business opportunities by listing PPE in Intertek’s PPE CoE directory
Our PPE Centres of Excellence offer Total Quality Assurance solutions to support the sourcing, procurement, manufacturing, and R&D activities for different types of PPE. Contact our experts today to learn more.
