The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned against the use of KN95 facemasks as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). A safety alert has been issued, urging all employers and suppliers not to purchase or use KN95 facemasks as PPE.
The alert stated that "KN95 is a performance rating that is broadly equivalent to the EU standard for FFP2 facemasks. Products manufactured to KN95 requirements rely on a self-declaration of compliance by the manufacturer. There is no independent certification or assurance of their quality.
This respirator has been identified as suspect by HSE experts and locally arranged testing has confirmed they would not meet requirements, including to protect against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. About 90% of the PPE concerns and queries currently being received by HSE involve KN95 masks which are often accompanied by fake or fraudulent paperwork."
The required action within the alert is that "masks that are not CE marked and cannot be shown to be compliant must be removed from supply immediately."
Where masks are CE marked, "suppliers must be able to demonstrate how they know the documentation and CE marking is genuine, supported by Notified Body documentation showing compliance with the essential health and safety requirements as required by the Personal Protective Equipment Regulations (EU) 2016/425."