The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) said it was worried that numerous personal protective equipment (PPE) were being sold as ‘SABS Approved’, while not having gone through its processes.
SABS Lead Administrator Jodi Scholtz in a statement, said consumers are being duped into using potentially harmful PPE.
“Testing and certification of products, especially PPE is going to become increasingly important as South Africa deals with COVID-19,” Scholtz said.
“In addition and based on the critical needs, tests can be conducted against specific requirements and via a consultative process to develop the requirements,” explains Scholtz.
The SABS further cautioned companies procuring PPE to consult the Bureau on the standard and requirements that PPE should meet so that it can be included on tender documents and subjected to inspection.