British Standards Institution warns of false PPE certificates currently in circulation

The business improvement company has been alerted to these certificates from various third parties across the globe. The company has advised that anyone purchasing any form of safety equipment supported by a certificate that appears to be issued by the BSI should verify that the document is genuine using the certificate or license number and the Verifeye database on the BSI website prior to purchase.  

Shahm Barhom, Group product certification director at the BSI, commented: “We’re urging anyone who is purchasing personal protective equipment to be vigilant, and particularly so given the increased need we’re seeing at present. If the safety equipment that's being purchased is supported by a certificate that appears to have been issued by the BSI, we strongly recommend checking its validity in the first instance.”

The BSI has notified the relevant regulators and law enforcement agencies about the false certificates that have been brought to its attention.

Anyone who wants to check on certificate validity can search the BSI’s directory (to be found at https://verifeyedirectory.bsigroup.com/) for BSI-certified clients and valid certificate or license numbers. Validity can also be checked by clicking the link at the bottom of the certificate.

While the BSI can only advise on false certificates that appear to have been issued by the organisation, it's likely that other certification/notified bodies and approved test houses will also be affected by this.