Quick answers
How should a company choose and buy PPE?
List the hazards of each task, remove or reduce what you can, then specify the current BIS standard and performance class for what is left. Ask for proof that the exact model meets it, and try the full kit on real workers before you place the order.
Is an ISI or BIS logo enough to show PPE is genuine?
No. Check the licence on the BIS Care app or BIS online services and make sure it covers the exact product you are buying. A report or licence for a different model proves nothing about this one.
Why should PPE be tested as a full set?
Items can clash when worn together. Goggles can break a respirator seal, a helmet can push ear muffs out of place and gloves can leave a gap at the cuff. A wearer trial of the whole kit shows these problems before you buy.
Should PPE be bought on the lowest price?
No. Compare bids on proven protection and fit, and on the full running cost, including training, filters, cleaning, inspection, repair, spares and replacement. Kit that fails the standard or that workers will not wear is never a saving.
A welder in a fabrication shed, a fireman at a godown fire and a lab assistant pouring solvents all need PPE, but not the same PPE. Most bad buying decisions start with a catalogue or a price list. Start with the job instead.
This is how I would go about it, whether you are buying for a large plant or a small workshop.
Start with the hazards, not the catalogue
Walk through the job with the people who actually do it. Write down what can hurt them: open flame, radiant heat, hot metal splashes, sparks, smoke and toxic gas, falling objects, sharp edges, chemicals, noise. A job title is not enough. Two “fitters” in the same plant can face very different hazards.
Before you reach for PPE, see whether the hazard itself can be removed or reduced: a safer chemical, a machine guard, local exhaust, a different way of doing the work. PPE is the last line of protection, for the risk that is left after all that.
Check the standard and the certification
Most PPE sold in India is covered by a BIS standard. Look up the current edition on BIS Know Your Standards, because standards get revised and older editions are withdrawn. Note the performance class you need, not just the standard number.
Some PPE is under compulsory BIS certification and some is voluntary, and this changes from time to time, so check when you buy. If a seller shows an ISI mark or a licence, verify the licence on the BIS Care app and make sure it covers the exact model you are buying. A test report for another model, another fabric or another factory tells you nothing about this one.
Names like Nomex or Kevlar on a label tell you about the fibre, not the finished garment. Seams, zips, thread and design all matter, and a fabric certificate does not certify the whole suit.
Know what each piece of PPE is for
- Flame-resistant clothing: chosen for the actual heat and flame exposure, to the right standard and class, and covering every part of the body that is at risk.
- Gloves: protection from heat and burns, with enough grip and feel to do the job. Watch for a gap between glove and sleeve.
- Footwear: toe protection, a puncture-resistant sole and a heat-resistant sole where the floor is hot or covered in debris.
- Eye and face protection: impact-resistant lenses against debris, sparks and embers, and a face shield where there is splash, radiant heat or intense light.
- Respiratory protection: in fire smoke, or any unknown or oxygen-deficient air, you need positive-pressure self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). A filter respirator only cleans the air around you and does not supply oxygen, so use one only where a hazard assessment shows the air is otherwise safe to breathe.
- Head protection: helmets with face shields, neck protection and chin straps where things can fall or the head can take a knock.
Try the whole kit on real workers
Each item can pass its own test and still fail when everything is worn together. Goggles can break the seal of a respirator. A helmet can push ear muffs out of place. Gloves can leave a gap at the cuff. So put the full set on a few workers of different builds, including people who wear spectacles and people who use a radio, and let them do the real movements of the job in a safe trial. Never test PPE by sending someone into a live hazard.
Comfort is a safety issue, not a luxury. If the kit is too hot, too tight or too heavy, people take it off halfway through the shift. Choose PPE that lets them move, see, hear and talk. If your team uses two-way radios or headsets, check that they work with the helmet and hood.
Match the kit to the role
A firefighter going into a burning building needs full firefighting gear and breathing apparatus. A welder or a furnace worker may need flame-resistant clothing, gloves, a face shield and safety shoes. Someone working in a chemical store needs a different set again. Decide by role and task, and write it down so the next purchase is not a guess.
Look at the cost over its whole life
The cheapest bid often turns out to be the most expensive. Count fitting, training, spares, filters or cylinders, cleaning, inspection, repair and replacement, not just the bill. Cheap kit that does not meet the standard, or that nobody will wear, is money spent on false comfort.
Durability is good, but a long-lasting item that is wrong for the hazard is still wrong. And once the order is placed, do not accept a “similar” substitute without checking it the same way. Keep a sample of what you approved and the batch records of what arrives.
Ask someone who knows
If you are not sure, take advice from your safety officer, a fire-safety professional or the manufacturer’s technical team, and ask for documents, not just assurances. Respirator selection, arc-flash protection and chemical-resistant clothing need a qualified specialist.
Before your next PPE order
Take your current purchase list. Next to each item, write the task it is for and the standard and class it must meet. Then check one ISI licence on the BIS Care app. Wherever a line is blank, that is where to start.
What needs attention
- The earlier article rightly began with hazards and standards but leaned too much on fabric names
- Nomex, Kevlar or "fire-resistant" on a label does not prove the finished product meets the Indian Standard or class needed
- A long-lasting product can still be the wrong product for the hazard
- Poor fit, heat and stiffness make people take PPE off, so comfort matters, but it cannot replace protection
- The lowest bid can cost the most if it has no sizes, spares, cleaning, repair, training or local support
- A BIS licence covers a defined scope, so check the licence and the exact product, not just a printed logo
- Some PPE is under compulsory certification through a Quality Control Order and some is voluntary; check the current position
- A fabric certificate does not cover seams, closures, design or the complete outfit
- One size for everyone leaves out smaller and larger workers and can break respirator seals
- Items that pass separately can clash when worn together, which only a physical trial shows up
- Spectacles, beards, head coverings and radios must be planned for without breaking seals or leaving gaps
- You cannot pick a respirator cartridge by the smell of smoke, and filters do not work in oxygen-poor or unknown air
- A supplier swapping the model, material, factory or a component after the order can undo the whole evaluation
- Delivery and batch records are needed for recalls, defect checks and planned replacement
Controls that reduce risk
- Hold any PPE purchase whose specification is not based on a task-by-task hazard check
- Use BIS Know Your Standards to find the current Indian Standard and see whether an older edition was withdrawn
- Check whether the product is under compulsory or voluntary certification
- Write the performance class, body coverage, fit with other items and test evidence into the specification
- Ask each bidder to name the maker, factory, model, licence number, certificate scope and service support
- Verify licence status on the BIS Care app or BIS online services
- Make a simple table matching each claimed feature to a certificate, report or instruction
- Reject reports that do not name the offered product or the right test method
- Get samples in all the sizes you need and keep the approved samples
- Run controlled wearer trials of the full kit with a range of real workers
- Score sight, seal, hearing, radio use, grip, movement, heat, and how easily kit goes on and comes off
- Work out the full running cost including training, filters, cleaning, testing, spares, repair and replacement
- Decide the delivery checks and batch records before the goods arrive
- Write a no-substitution clause into the order and tell the stores team
- Set up a way to report defects, recalls and incidents and to pull kit out of use before issuing it
- Review the choice after the first months of use and after any change in process or product
Common unsafe practices
- Copying a supplier's catalogue into the tender
- Specifying only a brand, colour, fabric or a word like "fireproof"
- Quoting a withdrawn or old standard without checking the current edition
- Leaving out the performance class, test method or body coverage needed
- Accepting an ISI or BIS logo without checking the licence and what it covers
- Accepting a test report for a different model, fabric, factory or part
- Giving every worker the same size or model without fitting
- Judging each item on its own and missing clashes between them
- Choosing respirators without air data, fit testing or a proper programme
- Scoring mainly on price and ignoring filters, cleaning and service
- Skipping wearer trials for movement, sight, grip and radio use
- Allowing a different product after the order without checking it again
- Not keeping samples, batch records, certificates and delivery checks
- Issuing PPE before training, inspection and assigning it to a named person
- Having no way to pull defective or incident-involved kit out of use
- Thinking a certificate removes the employer's duty to choose and use PPE properly
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