EC Directive 89/686/EEC

EC Directive 89/686/EEC was for decades the central European legal basis for the CE marking of personal protective equipment. It defined the three PPE categories (I low, II medium, III high risk) and set out certification and notification requirements. Since 21 April 2018 it has been replaced by PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425, a directly applicable regulation needing no national transposition. It keeps the three-step categorisation but tightens duties for manufacturers, importers and distributors, mandates periodic type examination for Cat. III and introduces new market surveillance mechanisms. Old 89/686 certificates had a transition until 21 April 2023 at the latest and are void thereafter. Any product still labelled under the old directive must be re-certified under 2016/425 before further placing on the market. This affects hi-vis, safety footwear and bump caps directly.