CE Certification
THE EUROPEAN PPE REGULATION AND WHAT THIS MEANS FOR RIDERS
Since an introduction of the European norm for motorcycle clothing it is now possible for riders to know if a product is independently tested and approved to be sold in the European Union. This EU law is recognized as the most accurate modern, current test standards in the world.
THE EU PPE REGULATION
CE MARKING
If you buy any item in the EU including motorcycle apparel as well as cookware, toys and electronics, you’ll be able to see the CE mark affixed to the product. CE is a shorthand for “Conformite Europeenne’ (French for European Conformity). The CE label is an indication of conformity to an EU accepted norm (with input from the relevant institutions) under the PPE umbrella, which covers the areas of health, safety, and environmental.
For instance the set of standards which govern EU PPE for motorcycle clothing for “leisure use” is CE EN17092 from the 2016/425 regulations.
A EUROPEAN HARMONISED STANDARD
CE Certification and specifications for each standard are complex , and it’s no difficult task for every EU member state and the institutions and organisations to reach a consensus on a common, widely accepted set of guidelines. The harmonisation of this standard, to which across all of EU it is accepted and accepted means that a clothing’s intended purpose and level of protection are understood by the riders. While it’s not EU law Merlin believes that this is an internationally recognised seal of acceptance for consumers. CE certifications have a validity of five years starting from when the product has been certified or modified. The standards that are harmonised can be found on the Official Journal of the European Commission.
WHAT ABOUT THE CE EN 13595 STANDARD
In 1989, the PPE directive 89/686/EEC was enacted and was fully implemented in 1994. The directive was, however, not ‘harmonised’ , and was flexible in its interpretation, which led to a lot of confusion throughout the industry in opposition to its purpose. Brands and manufacturers, as well as the notified bodies were unable to comply and accept an harmonised set of rules and guidelines, and the directive was widely criticized.
The issue led to the development of CE EN 13595, an uniform PPE standard that aims to ensure that all EU certified bodies testing against specific standards that are specific to the product’s intended usage. The four components described within the standards CE EN 13595 were only used for professional-use garments however (for instance, dispatch riders and emergency service). Because the majority of riders are leisure users this standard was mostly disregarded in the field by those who worked for it.
THE SHAKEUP
The market was not aware of this CE EN 13595 standards because of its professional status and, as a result only a few items that were available for sale were CE certified by the EN 13595 standard.
Merlin has been watching the discussions and actions of members of the WG9 (working team of stakeholder) to develop a preliminary set of standards which reflected the needs of products designed for recreational riders as per an entirely new regulation called EN 17092. The brand-new standard breaks into three different tiers based on the use they are used for. They are typically described as’sport’ (heavy-duty), ‘adventure’ (mid-weight) and ‘urban’ (lightweight) but technically they are classified into three standards: AAA, AA, and A and A. There is not just an one standard for clothes, however, as a rider you are able to consider the kind of riding you’ll be undertaking, making it possible to make an informed purchase.
The motivation behind each levelis that track riders certainly have more demands in the case of an accident they are compared to urban commuters. it’s a delicate balance of keeping safety the top priority, while ensuring comfortable waterproofing, breathability, and flexibility are considered, all the while providing the highest level of protection suitable for the specific riding style.
Since it being a standard, harmonised as well as regulation, riders will now observe that by means of independent testing through a notified body Merlin was proving its worth and proved its claims of making top-quality and durable clothing and meeting the most current safety standards in its current fashion collections through the continuous investing in the research and development.
Simply put, through the implementation to the standard CE EN 17092 Merlin has proven that its product range, that, in many cases, look like they’ve come from the market are extremely safe and approved for sale in the European Union.
