PPE (as defined in the EU Directive 89/686) shall mean any device or appliance designed to be worn or held by an individual for protection against one or more health and safety hazards.
- A unit constituted by several devices or appliances which have been integrally combined by the manufacturer for the protection of an individual against one or more potentially simultaneous risks.
- A protective device or appliance combined, separable or inseparably, with personal non-protective equipment worn or held by an individual for the execution of a specific activity.
- Interchangeable PPE components which are essential to its satisfactory functioning and used exclusively for such equipment.
- Any system placed on the market in conjunction with PPE for its connection to another external, additional device shall be regarded as an integral part of that equipment even if the system is not intended to be worn or held permanently by the user for the entire period of risk exposure.