Today, June 2, the workshop ”Smart PPE – standardization for design and use” took place, organized by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC), which took place in online format. At the event were presented:

  1. Information on upcoming initiatives relevant for smart PPE;
  2. Published documents: CEN/TR 17512:2020, CEN/TR 17260:2021, EN 17673:2022;
  3. Standardization projects in progress: Warning clothing with active lighting/equipment for active luminous warning – requirements and test methods; Smart textiles and electronic textiles; 
  4. Information on challenges with certification of smart PPE;
  5. Examples from industry and research and development;
  6. What is happening outside Europe in standardization?

This workshop provided an update on the development and standardization of smart garments, textiles and equipment, with feedback on the needs and expectations from users and testing authorities. In addition to the technical issues, the impacts from other legislative initiatives like data protection, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence were discussed.