Non-compliant FFP respiratory protection masks have been sold on the market in Switzerland. BPA and Suva have initiated proceedings against importers and distributors. A recall or a ban on sale is being considered.
Administrative procedures have been opened against importers and distributors responsible for placing FFP masks on the market considered to be non-compliant, the Accident Prevention Office (BPA) and Suva said on Friday. Measures must be taken to guarantee the safety and health of users.
The planned measures are the recall or the ban on the sale of these FFP masks. These non-compliant masks are not suitable for professional situations where dust is emitted.
Masks tested
BPA and Suva, legally mandated for market surveillance, have checked around 60 FFP respiratory protection masks available in Switzerland. Purchased for the most part online and mostly with the acronym KN95, these masks have been tested in a Suva laboratory.
More than 60% of the models tested offer insufficient protection. BPA and Suva therefore call on all players who import, sell or use such masks ‘to be extra careful’ and recommend buying FFP masks in specialist shops or from recognized providers.
Quality questioned
The detailed results of the tests are part of ongoing procedures. It is currently ‘impossible, for legal reasons, to speak out’ on these results, underline the BPA and Suva. ‘The absence of certain specific characteristics nevertheless makes it possible to doubt the quality of FFP masks’.
FFP masks are recognizable in particular by their curved shape. They should not be confused with hygiene masks which are rectangular.
/ ATS
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