Standards and regulations for respirators

Regulation (EU) 2016/425 of 9 March 2016 on personal protective equipment (the PPE regulation) covers the design, manufacture and marketing of personal protective equipment.

In order to be placed on the market, respiratory protective equipment must undergo conformity tests carried out by certified bodies. CE marking, followed by the reference number of the certified body, is then affixed to the equipment as evidence of compliance of the product with the applicable EU legislation.

Council Directive 89/656/EEC of 30/11/1989 on the use of PPE lays down the obligations of employers.  They are required to carry out a risk assessment and determine the most appropriate personal protective equipment, and are responsible for the servicing and maintenance of the equipment as well as the training of employees in how to use the PPE properly.

This directive was transposed into French law under articles L. 4321-1 to L 4321-5, R. 4321-4 to R. 4323-91 to R. 4323-106 of the French Labour Code.

For filters:

•     NF EN 14387+A1 April 2008, cancelling and repealing NF EN 14387 and NF EN 372
      Respiratory protective devices - Gas filter(s) and combined filter(s) - Requirements, testing, marking (except CO filters)
   
•     NF EN 143/A1 September 2006 replacing NF EN 143
      Respiratory protective devices - Particle filters - Requirements, testing, marking
   
•     NF EN 149/IN1 September 2009 replacing NF EN 149
      Respiratory protective devices - Filtering half masks to protect against particles - Requirements, testing, marking

For respirators:

•     NF EN 136 March 1998
      Respiratory protective devices - Full face masks - Requirements, testing, marking
   
•     NF EN 137 January 2007
      Respiratory protective devices - Self-contained open-circuit compressed air breathing apparatus with full face mask - Requirements, testing, marking
   
•     NF EN 144-1 April 2018
      Respiratory protective devices - Gas cylinder valves - Part 1: inlet connections
   
•     NF EN 144-2 April 2018
      Respiratory protective devices - Gas cylinder valves - Part 2: outlet connections
   
•     NF EN 402 October 2003
      Respiratory protective devices - Lung governed demand self-contained open-circuit compressed air breathing apparatus with full face mask or mouthpiece assembly for escape - Requirements, testing, marking
   
•     NF EN 1146 January 2006
      Respiratory protective devices - Self-contained open-circuit compressed air breathing apparatus incorporating a hood for escape - Requirements, testing, marking
   
•     NF EN 14594 May 2018
      Respiratory protective devices - Continuous flow compressed air line breathing devices - Requirements, testing and marking
   
•     NF EN 14593-1 May 2018
      Respiratory protective devices - Compressed air line breathing apparatus with demand valve - Part 1: devices with a full face mask - Requirements, testing, marking
   
•     French decree of 20 November 2017
      Concerning the in-service monitoring of pressurised equipment and simple pressure vessels