200 delegates seen at Personal Protective Equipment show
November 24, 2014 - Belgium
The 3rd European Lead Market conference on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) held November 18-19 in Brussels saw 200 delegates from 23 countries.
The conference continued the traditions of the two preceding editions in 2008 and 2011, featuring interesting speakers and a large audience representing the full PPE value chain.
The event presented ample opportunities for open debate on key questions for the future of the PPE market and an excellent European networking platform.
The first part of the conference was devoted to the overview of the regulatory developments and technology innovations affecting the PPE market.
The European Agency for Occupational Health and Safety (EU OSHA) presented an inclusive review of the benefits and costs related to the investment in the occupational health and safety.
Representatives of the European Commission spoke about the status of the pending PPE directive revision and showcased new opportunities and innovations of public procurement in the PPE sector.
The EU co-financed Smart@Fire project was presented as an excellent example of how to use pre-commercial public procurement to fund development of the smart fire fighter gear of the future based on a sound end-user specification process, a thorough market consultation and a pooling of financial resources of procurement organisations from several EU countries.
Research centres and technology suppliers presented new technology trends in functional textile materials, sensor and other smart function integration, challenges and potential solutions for PPE recycling as well as more sustainable finishing and cleaning technologies.
The second day was dedicated to technical, standards and end-user issues in PPE applications such as heat and flame, ballistic, high-visibility, electrostatic and electric arc protection as well as food contact use.
A dedicated session organized by PPE procurers from the ENPROTEX network presented the results of a new study on the impact of contaminated PPE on the health of fire fighters and how cleaning procedures and technologies can mitigate this underappreciated risk.
The conference concluded with a plenary session devoted to discussion on new initiatives for better collaboration between PPE manufacturers, service providers and end-users across Europe.
According to the plenary session, this will help jointly ensure adequate design and correct selection, use, care and maintenance of PPE, to carry out studies together and make use of opportunities provided by European funding programmes and new ways of public procurement. (AR)
The conference continued the traditions of the two preceding editions in 2008 and 2011, featuring interesting speakers and a large audience representing the full PPE value chain.
The event presented ample opportunities for open debate on key questions for the future of the PPE market and an excellent European networking platform.
The first part of the conference was devoted to the overview of the regulatory developments and technology innovations affecting the PPE market.
The European Agency for Occupational Health and Safety (EU OSHA) presented an inclusive review of the benefits and costs related to the investment in the occupational health and safety.
Representatives of the European Commission spoke about the status of the pending PPE directive revision and showcased new opportunities and innovations of public procurement in the PPE sector.
The EU co-financed Smart@Fire project was presented as an excellent example of how to use pre-commercial public procurement to fund development of the smart fire fighter gear of the future based on a sound end-user specification process, a thorough market consultation and a pooling of financial resources of procurement organisations from several EU countries.
Research centres and technology suppliers presented new technology trends in functional textile materials, sensor and other smart function integration, challenges and potential solutions for PPE recycling as well as more sustainable finishing and cleaning technologies.
The second day was dedicated to technical, standards and end-user issues in PPE applications such as heat and flame, ballistic, high-visibility, electrostatic and electric arc protection as well as food contact use.
A dedicated session organized by PPE procurers from the ENPROTEX network presented the results of a new study on the impact of contaminated PPE on the health of fire fighters and how cleaning procedures and technologies can mitigate this underappreciated risk.
The conference concluded with a plenary session devoted to discussion on new initiatives for better collaboration between PPE manufacturers, service providers and end-users across Europe.
According to the plenary session, this will help jointly ensure adequate design and correct selection, use, care and maintenance of PPE, to carry out studies together and make use of opportunities provided by European funding programmes and new ways of public procurement. (AR)