Personal Protective Equipment Footwear (Quality Control) Amendment Order, 2021

To comply with the latest version of Personal Protective Equipment Footwear safety standards and to support the Standard Mark, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the Government of India issued the Personal Protective Equipment Footwear (Quality Control) Amendment Order, 2021. This PPE Footwear quality control order seeks to tighten quality norms for PPE footwear, both imported and manufactured. The new provision of this quality order will become effective on 1st January 2022; the quality order mandates the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification for the PPE Footwear Products imports.

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Purpose of PPE Footwear (Quality Control) Order

The purpose of introducing the Personal Protective Equipment Footwear (Quality Control) Amendment Order, 2021 is to ensure quality footwear products for the customer and also to strengthen the government’s current policy of keeping non-essential imports under check.

Applicability of PPE Footwear (Quality Control) Amendment Order

PPE Footwear (Quality Control) Order relates to the regulation of Personal Protective Equipment Footwear. The products included in the order are as follows:

• PPE Safety Footwear
• PPE Protective Footwear
• PPE Occupational Footwear

Significance of Quality Control Order

The introduction of quality control orders is to formulate technical regulations such as safety and quality standards for 350 products to curb imports of non-essential PPE Footwear items.

According to the quality order, the notified items cannot be produced, imported, traded, and stocked unless they bear the Bureau of Indian Standard mark (BIS mark).

Conformity to Standards and Essential Requirements

Every PPE Footwear product specified in the quality control order needs to conform to the corresponding Indian standards defined in the order.

PPE Footwear products specified in the order need to conform to Indian Standards specified in the qualifying order, bearing Standard Mark, and need to accompany with the test certificate of input material.

Goods specified in the order need to conform to the corresponding essential requirement under a Certificate of Conformity from the Bureau as per Scheme–IV of Schedule–II of the Bureau of Indian Standards (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018

Exclusion of Export in Quality Control Order

The PPE Footwear (Quality Control) Order excludes products meant for shipping. Elimination of export is for the purpose that Indian traders making such items for foreign market need and they need to comply with the destination market standards.

Compulsory Use of Standard Mark

As mentioned above, every PPE Footwear products need to bear the Standard Mark under a license from the Bureau as per Scheme–I of Schedule–II of the Bureau of Indian Standards (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018.

Prescribed Authority for PPE Footwear Imports

As per the PPE Footwear (Quality Control) Order, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) would certify and enforce authority for all Personnel Protective Equipment Footwear products imported and manufactured in India.

Indian Safety Standards for Personnel Protective Equipment Footwear Products

The Personnel Protective Equipment Footwear Products manufactured or imported in India should comply with the Indian standards on safety aspects such as mechanical and physical properties.

The DPIIT official document is attached here for reference.