As a director of a reputable, experienced and long-standing supplier of PPE, I was recently asked by Health & Safety Matters (HSM) magazine to make comment on the result of a survey that they conducted to customers of the PPE market.
The question, “What do you look for from your supplier?” had four choices of answers and in terms of importance, the respondees ranked them, with the most important being quality of products and then knowledgeable staff. Being a member of the PPE industry association was ranked third and fourth was ethically concerned.
Tower is a member of the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) Register Safety Supplier scheme (RSSS) and by virtue of this can fulfil ALL of the other important attributes of a supplier.
Therefore, being a RSSS member could be the number 1 criteria.
BSIF RSSS members declare that their products will meet required quality standards and are subjected to an annual audit. Members can enrol staff on the Safe Supply Accreditation to prove knowledge with an OFQUAL examination – I am one of 15 Tower qualified staff.
Ethical concerns are evaluated by RSSS members who follow compliance protocol that underpins the scheme dictum: “Anyone can sell safety, but you wouldn’t buy safety from anyone.”
My recommendation for directors of companies using PPE is to ask if you’re using a Registered Safety Supplier.
This article is featured in the September edition of the Dorset Business Focus magazine. Read on the online version here.