There have been a ‘substantial’ number of face masks claiming to be of KN95 standards available in the UK over the course of the COVID crisis which provide an inadequate level of protection.
The Health and Safety Executive have stated there are many masks of poor quality which are accompanied by fake or fraudulent paperwork.
When purchasing face masks and filtering facepiece (FFP) respirators you should be assured that these are fit for purpose and your supplier should be able to provide certification which can be easily verified with the governing and/or ‘Notified’ testing body.
Masks or mask packaging should be CE marked and the CE certification should be verifiable.
FFP2 masks should be tested to the European standard BSEN149:2001+A1:2009
Mask testing should be accompanied by Notified Body documentation showing compliance with essential health and safety requirements as required by the Personal Protective Equipment Regulations (EU) 2016/425.
