Beware of Counterfeit PPE

So. Let's say you're making improvements to your safety program. You've accepted that you need to start stockpiling a new type of PPE for employees. Maybe it's respirators because you can't confirm a work site or client property doesn't contain asbestos. Or cut gloves with more dexterity to make it possible to manipulate hardware with them on. Maybe your harnesses are looking a little worse for wear and it's time to replace them.

You've allocated funds to budget for the purchase, and you're ready to go. Google search says there's a great deal on Amazon or Walmart. Click purchase. You're done! Another item checked off the to do list.

Except, as with many things in the compliance world, it's not that simple.

Many sources, especially those that fulfill orders from third party sellers, have a problem with counterfeit products. Safety critical equipment especially is a tempting one for counterfeiters. A large portion of overhead on PPE and other safety critical equipment is taken up by testing the equipment to make sure it's in compliance with required standards.

Depending on what it is we're talking about, PPE and safety critical equipment can be subjected to thousands of pounds of load testing (think ladders and fall protection equipment), thousands of degrees of heat in a simulated arc blast (FR and arc-rated equipment) and slicing blades (cut-resistant workwear).

[Check out this video on how electrical gloves are tested -- yes, they dip them in water and then run electrical current through them.]

So it becomes an easy decision for counterfeiters to cut costs by eliminating all testing protocol. Counterfeiters may also use inferior materials that wouldn't be obvious to the consumer, such as impure alloys for harness hardware or inferior fibers in FR or cut-resistant workwear.

End consumers became more aware of this issue during the pandemic with some 3M respirators found to be counterfeits. Popular technical PPE manufacturer Petzl also has come out with resources to help end consumers determine whether the Petzl equipment they have is genuine.

Here's some tips to protect yourself.

1. Don't buy PPE used. Maybe your brother's company is upgrading harnesses, and they're offering you what they had. Tempting! Don't do it. It's hard to know where or when the product was purchased, and you can't verify what conditions it was used or stored in.

2. Order directly from the product manufacturer or their authorized distributors. Any company that fulfills third party orders may use a process called 'commingled inventory' -- meaning that genuine and counterfeit products may be stored together and employees may pull from this common stock to fulfill orders.

3. Always register your PPE if that option is available. Many companies send their products with a blank form for you to add your contact information and send back to them. While this may feel like data mining, these companies are actually obligated to contact you with any issues with the product down the line. This may also include anything that comes out about counterfeit products.

Remember, the lower price may be tempting, but counterfeiters don't use any resources to subject their products to testing and will use any material as long as it looks like the genuine product once in consumers' hands. Make sure you're getting your PPE through a verified channel. You don't want to trust your health and life to subpar products.