PPE must be designed and manufactured in accordance with the requirements defined in European PPE Regulation 2016/425. CE marking is mandatory on the European Union (EU) market, regardless of the origin country of the PPE. Apave certifies your PPE for placing on the market (CE and UKCA marking)..
Placing PPE on the market: what you need to know
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is an equipment designed to protect a person against one or more risks.
All PPE placed on the European market must comply with the essential health and safety requirements defined in PPE Regulation 2016/425.
The conformity is reflected by the CE marking of the PPE and an EU declaration of conformity.
CE marking of PPE requires the intervention of a Notified Body.
You would like support with:
- Design phase testing
- Module B: EU Type examination
- Control of manufactured PPE according to Module C2 or Module D:
- Module C2: on-site control, sampling and annual CE and UKCA tests.
- Module D: Quality assurance system audit for CE and UKCA (all types of PPE category III).
- ISO 9001 audit (quality management).
Apave is the French Notified Body (n° 0082) for the certification of PPE.
Apave PPE testing and certification laboratory is located in Fontaine near Grenoble (38). We provide our services all around the world with an area of 1,500 m2 entirely dedicated to PPE testing.
Apave certifies the following PPE:
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PPE against falls from a heightSince 1992, Apave has been a leading French Notified Body (n°0082) for PPE against falls from a height with more than 1,000 EU type-examination certificates issued each year.
We have unique experience in the certification of PPE for fall protection and currently assume the presidency of European coordination of notified bodies for the certification of PPE against falls from a height (VG11).
We are notified for the following PPE against falls from a height:
- PPE used in industries: Full body harnesses, connectors, low stretch kernmantel ropes, mobile fall arresters, retractable fall arresters, lanyards, energy absorbers, belts and lanyards for work positioning, sit harnesses, descenders, anchorage devices, rope access systems,...
- PPE used for mountaineering: Harnesses, connectors, dynamics ropes, slings, tapes,accessory cords, energy absorbers for via ferrata, crampons, ice tools, ice anchors, chocks, frictional anchors, rope clamps, pulleys, pitons,... Apave, is UIAA approved test laboratory* (International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation).
- PPE used for small crafts: Deck safety harnesses and safety lines.
Our services for fall protection PPE:
Other tests performed:
- Mechanical tests: static, fatigue, dynamic,...
- Corrosion test chamber
- Tests on the equipments not within the scope of CE certification: safety lifeline, anchor devices, guardrail...
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New European Standard EN 17961:2025
We wish to draw your attention to the publication of the new standard EN 17961:2025 concerning Load Sharing Devices (LSD). This published European standard now governs the assessment of these devices, replacing the European coordination sheet PPE-R/11.114 which was used until now, and canceled during the last VG11 meeting.
Your Partner for Certification: APAVE is Ready !
As a Notified Body for the EU type examination of Category III PPE for fall protection, APAVE is fully prepared to process your certification requests according to this new standard.
We remind you that APAVE remains your preferred contact for the entire assessment process. Our expertise guarantees an evaluation compliant with the essential health and safety requirements of the PPE Regulation.- LSD Manufacturers: Submit your files now for EU type examination under EN 17961:2025.
- Manufacturers with an existing EU type examination according to PPE-R/11.114: We have already contacted you to inform you that it has been agreed that the publication of EN 17961:2025 does not constitute a change in the state of the art. The approved type remains compliant with the essential health and safety requirements of the Regulation.
The APAVE team is available to answer any questions and assist you with your certification procedures.
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PPE for respiratory protectionSince 2007, Apave has been the only French Notified Body (n°0082) for Respiratory Protective Devices.
We participate in French and European standardization committees and to Notified Bodies Coordination and assume the presidency of the European Coordination for respiratory protective devices (VG2 coordination).
Our services cover the following PPE:
Filtering Respiratory Protective Devices (RPD):
- filtering face pieces
- half masks and full face masks
- powered filtering devices
Breathing apparatus:
- SCBA : Self Contained Breathing Apparatus
- Continuous flow or demand valve air line apparatus
- Working escape apparatus...
Main tests performed
- Laboratory tests: inward leakage, filtering efficiency for solid and liquid particles, breathing resistance, conditioning (temperature, humidity), CO2 in inhaled air....
- Practical performance tests (work simulation with test subjects): cold chamber...
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Head, eye and face protection equipmentSince 2009, Apave has been a French notified body (n°0082) for Head protection and expanded its activities in PPE* for eye and face protection in 2018.
Our services cover the following PPE:
Industrial safety helmets:
- EN397 - Industrial protective helmets
- EN812 - Industrial bump cap
- EN50365 - Electrically insulating helmets for use on low and medium voltage installations
A new version of the EN397 standard was published in 2025: Discover the changes to this standard in our infographic.
Sport helmets:
- EN12492 - Helmets for mountaineers. Discover the changes to this standard in our infographic (2025)
Main tests performed:
- Falling mass method : Shock absorption, resistance to penetration
- Falling headform method: shock absorption
- Retention system effectiveness and strength
- Traction bench (chinstrap)
- Flame resistance, electrical tests, lateral deformation, climate conditioning, UV conditioning (artificial aging), field-of-view measurement...
Other tests performed:
- Flame resistance on firefighter helmets
- Tests on electrical devices
PPE for eye and face protection:
- EN ISO 16321-1 -Eye and face protection for occupational use
Other tests performed:
- Resistance to fogging (N marking)
- Protection against droplets (marking 3)
- Protection against large dust particles (marking 4)
- Resistance to molten metal and hot solids (marking 9)
Furthermore, Apave intervenes for the control of manufactured PPE according to the following modules:
- module C2: On-site control, sampling and annual tests for CE.
- module D: Quality assurance system audit for CE and UKCA (all types of PPE category III)
Our team is made up of 6 auditors working on modules C2 and D and we provide our services currently to more than 200 clients worldwide..
Module C2
This Control must be carried out once a year to verify compliance with the requirements of Annex VII set out in PPE Regulation 2016/425.
Module C2 is suitable for manufacturers with a limited number of PPE and who do not have the means to conduct one of the most critical tests of the applicable standard on their premises.. In this case, in addition to on-site inspection, we perform PPE sampling in order to carry out tests in our laboratory.
Following steps will be done:
- - On site control
- - PPE sampling
- - Test in our laboratory of sampled PPE
Control duration: 1 day (Depending on number of PPE and number of production sites).
Module D
Every year the notified body has to check that the manufacturer has an organization (Quality system and means of testing finished PPE) which can guarantee the homogeneity of production and the conformity of PPE with the type described in the EU type approval certificate and compliant with the requirements of Annex VIII defined in PPE Regulation 2016/425.
The manufacturer must have a quality system that complies with ISO 9001. It is not required to have an ISO certificate, however it is still recommended.
Module D is more appropriate for manufacturers who have a large number of PPE and who have the necessary testing facilities and an adequate quality system.
Control duration: 1,5 days for a first audit (Depending on number of PPE and number of production sites).
Why choose Apave to certify your PPE?
Choosing Apave means opting for recognized expertise and quality support.
- More than 1,500 customers worldwide rely on us for the certification of their PPE.
- For easier exchanges: we speak French, English, Spanish, Arabic and Chinese.
- You are able to benefit from the opportunity to attend the tests on your own PPE in our laboratory. The opportunity to exchange directly with our experienced technician during the tests.
Apave is your privileged partner for the certification of your Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
It was a great pleasure meeting most of our customers at the A+A 2025 trade show.
We genuinely valued the opportunity to discuss your specific needs and were delighted to hear positive feedback regarding our improved lead times. Thank you for all your valuable input.
Moving forward, we are committed to maintaining and further enhancing our service levels.
We appreciate your feedback on the reduction of our lead times in 2025.
In 2026, our organisation now allows us to commit to a lead time that applies throughout the year.
Major Update: We Listened to Your Feedback!
Your feedback has led to a major evolution: We are now giving you the choice to group your EU Type examination certificate.
To accelerate your procedures:
- Old Rule: One EU Type examination certificate per product.
- New Rule: Change to Issuance Grouping Rules ! You may now, upon your choice, receive a single, unique EU Type examination certificate based on your needs, specifically:
- For connectors used in multiple locking systems and identical connector bodies
- This flexibility also applies to other products like harnesses with different closing buckle configurations (one model with automatic buckles and the other model with male/female buckles).
- Benefits: Less paperwork, faster ordering, price reduction: You save the cost of each additional EU Type examination certificate.
These adjustments prove that your experience is the driving force behind our continuous improvement.
Our unique experience in few figures
33 years
of experience in fall protection PPE
20 years
of experience in
respiratory protective device
15 years
of experience in helmets
7 years
of experience in PPE for eye and face protection
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