When we talk about useful life, we refer to the time that a team fulfills all its functionalities, assuming correct use and treatment.
For example, we can ask ourselves: Can the useful life of a car seatbelt or a washing machine be determined? The useful life of any PPE depends on the frequency of use and working conditions, as well as storage conditions when not in use. Referring to the previous examples, a washing machine will not last the same in a family of six as in a single-person household.
The PPE of Accesus belong to category III. That is, to the category that groups PPE that protect against a greater risk since they are those for work with a risk of falls. While it is impossible to determine with certainty the durability of a PPE, manufacturers are the ones who establish the criteria for their products. Additionally, to prevent certain damage during the life of the equipment, the law requires that they be periodically reviewed by authorized personnel.
Spanish legislation on PPE
The legislation that regulates it is the Royal Decree 2177/2004 amending Royal Decree 1215/1997, which establishes the minimum safety and health requirements for the use of work equipment, in temporary high-work materials.
Among these minimum requirements, it is indicated that the owner or company must guarantee the safety of the equipment.
To do this, it is necessary to carry out a review and that the record of the equipment inspection is up to date, in addition to the user, every time they are going to use it, must perform the necessary checks to verify its condition.
To serve our customers, at Accesus we have a highly qualified and trained after-sales department to review all PPE.
Additionally, Accesus provides PPE review training to those customers who request it so that they can be autonomous when complying with the review regulations.
We differentiate between two groups of personal protective equipment when establishing a useful life criterion: textiles and mechanics.
PPE Textiles
In the case of textiles, such as safety harnesses or slings, the maximum useful life has been set at 10 years from their manufacture. Despite having had good maintenance and not having suffered damage, wear and tear and the passage of time can cause them to not have the same properties as at the beginning. The manufacturing date is indicated on the article label and must be in good condition and legible to pass the reviews.
PPE Mechanics
Mechanical PPE have an unlimited useful life as long as, after each periodic review, they are repaired and certified as suitable.
In both cases, the review must be periodic and in line with the use given to each PPE, as long as the frequency does not exceed 12 months.
The action of PPE should not be underestimated and not because it is a low-cost element has less efficiency when suffering a fall, since the consequences of an accident with a PPE in poor condition can be disastrous.
Therefore, it is necessary that during the review carried out by a professional, there are no doubts about its good condition. After suffering any fall, the equipment must be withdrawn, and certain elements such as slings or harnesses will no longer be suitable for use, and others such as retractable fall protection devices will have to be examined. The disabling of certain textile PPE after a fall is due to the fact that, although they appear to be in good condition at first glance, it is not possible to certify that they do not have any internal damage that may not withstand a second fall.
If you have doubts about the reviews of your Accesus PPE or are a distributor and want to train to review personal protective equipment from our brand, write to us or contact our Commercial Department.