European PPE conference takes place in Belgian capital

The third running of the European Lead Market conference on personal protective equipment (PPE) has been held in Brussels.

Covering an extensive range of aspects of the PPE industry, the conference was hosted on the 18th and 19th of November.

There were a number of discussion points at the event, including the ever-evolving world of policies in the workplace controlling health and safety. As well as the changing landscape of regulation, the conference also led discussions on innovations within the sector and changing customer trends.

A triennial event, the conference attracted speakers and attendees from 23 countries. Representing the whole of the PPE chain, over 200 experts were in attendance.

Starting the conference was the European Agency for Occupational Health and Safety (EU OHSA).

Addressing the attendees in regards to technological innovations and developments in regulations, the EU OHSA reviewed how effective continued investment in health and safety workwear was for firms.

This presentation was complemented by a number of leading research and development centres. Along with suppliers of safety workwear tech, the increasing functionality of state-of-the-art textiles was brought to the fore.

The conference was also addressed by the European Commission (EC). With changes to EU directives in the pipeline, the EC representatives discussed these at length.

The second day went into the effectiveness of – and reasons for – PPE in applications where impact, heat and hi-vis are the focus. This included a session discussing the issues and risks contaminated workwear can present.

The conference closed with agreement that closer working relationships between all firms in the PPE industry would strengthen the whole.