Test and certify your PPE for placing on the European market (CE marking)

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:

PPE against falls from a height
Since 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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PPE for respiratory protection
Since 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 equipment
Since 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

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..

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Focus: how to choose between module C2 and module D?

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)

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