Registered Safety Supplier Scheme

What is the Registered Safety Supplier Scheme?

The BSIF Registered Safety Supplier scheme (RSSS) is designed to support the UK safety market. Companies displaying the scheme’s logo have signed a binding declaration that the safety equipment and services they offer meet the appropriate standards, fully comply to the PPE regulations and are correctly UKCA/CE marked.

The Mission of the scheme is to provide assurance to users that only compliant and correctly performing products are being supplied through a capable, educated, competent supply chain. The scheme provides a recognised route to enable a member to demonstrate compliance and due diligence – discharging the obligations of an economic operator under Regulation 2016/425 on PPE as amended and brought into UK Law.

Every year, BSIF sources product from a Registered Safety Supplier member’s PPE or relevant related product offering. The product is then tested to ensure it meets with the requirements detailed in the relevant regulation. This process helps to prove that the products offered by Registered Safety Suppliers are compliant and offer the protection that they claim. Compliance to the standards is not always the case with non member products as has been proven by BSIF’s independent testing on products sourced from the wider market place.

The British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) has revealed that 82% of personal protective equipment (PPE) products sourced from non-registered suppliers failed to meet required standards during testing in 2025, according to findings published in its new white paper,

Combatting Substandard PPE in the UK.

The results are based on testing and compliance assessments carried out between January 2025 and January 2026, during which BSIF assessed 88 PPE products sourced from suppliers outside the BSIF Registered Safety Supplier Scheme. In total, 116 individual tests were conducted, alongside detailed reviews of certification, technical documentation, and product marking.

Only 18% of the products tested met all applicable regulatory requirements. The remaining 82% failed due to technical performance failures, missing or invalid certification, inadequate documentation, incorrect product marking, or a combination of these issues.

While 43% of products tested resulted in a direct technical performance failure, the overall non-compliance rate rose sharply once documentation and marking issues were included. Under UK PPE regulations, products that lack valid certification, Declarations of Conformity, or correct CE/UKCA markings are deemed non-compliant regardless of laboratory performance.

Some examples are below.

Check for the BSIF Shield

For buyers and end users seeking assurance, the BSIF Shield is a respected mark of credibility. Companies displaying this shield have pledged a binding declaration that their offered PPE and safety equipment meets the correct standards, fully complies with regulations, and bears the necessary UKCA and/or CE markings. Choosing a Registered Safety Supplier ensures not only genuine products fit for purpose but also authentic information and guidance.

We suggest buyers and end users follow a simple three-step process when buying PPE to ensure that products are fit for purpose:

1) CHECK your supplier is BSIF registered. BSIF Audited suppliers are compliant, competent and trustworthy. Don’t settle for less.

2) SELECT appropriate, certified and compliant products. Registered Safety Suppliers can support the product selection process through their competence, capability and knowledge. 

3) PROTECT your workforce and your business. Registered Safety Suppliers go above and beyond, helping to keep your people safe and helping your business to thrive. 

Anyone can sell safety but you shouldn’t buy safety from just anyone: Always specify the shield. 

Disclaimer: Important Please be Aware

Registration in the BSIF Registered Safety Supplier Scheme (RSSS) demonstrates merely an organisation’s intention to undertake and maintain its obligations under applicable legislation including but not limited to Regulation (EU) 2016/425 on Personal Protective Equipment, where we specifically draw attention to products such as Category II items, which require EU Type Examination and Internal Production Controls and Category III items requiring the same plus ongoing independent quality assurance through either Module C2 Product Verification or Module D Product Quality Assurance.

Registration in itself does not satisfy any of these obligations nor does it exonerate companies, officers, members or individuals from their duties under these or other legal requirements. BSIF cannot be held responsible for any misunderstanding of the application of these rules and the effect of registration in the scheme.

You can find a full list of Registered Safety Suppliers by visiting the Scheme’s dedicated website:

www.registeredsafetysupplierscheme.co.uk