DEKRA expertise is helping to bring additional protective masks to the German market to fight the coronavirus. DEKRA Testing & Certification in Essen is one of two laboratories in Germany that is suitable for testing protective coronavirus masks in accordance with new testing principles. The objective is to make protective masks that could not previously bear the required CE marking available in the fight against coronavirus with targeted tests.
- DEKRA Essen is one of two suitable laboratories
- Accelerated testing of respiratory masks for the coronavirus pandemic in Germany
- First tests will begin on Monday, March 23, 2020
At the recommendation of the EU Commission (2020/403) dated March 13, 2020, the market supervisory authorities may define simplified processes for the procurement of “coronavirus masks.” This accelerated process is designed to allow technically effective masks to be approved for public use by the market supervisory authorities. This means that masks that have not yet undergone the necessary but complex EU conformity assessment procedures in accordance with PSA-VO (EU 2016/425) can, as an exception, be made available on the German market.
DEKRA Testing & Certification, with its special laboratory in Essen, is one of the two entities recognized in Germany as a notified body for respiratory masks (FFP masks). The Central Office of Federal States for Safety Technology (Zentralstelle der Länder für Sicherheitstechnik – ZLS) in Munich has now tasked DEKRA and IFA with establishing shortened testing principles. The objective was to create a rapid process that allows for a technical statement on protection from coronaviruses and is accepted by the German market supervisory authority.
Since Monday, March 23, 2020, DEKRA has been testing the first samples in accordance with the newly formulated testing principles at its laboratory in Essen. In this context, DEKRA is not acting as a certifying entity, but instead prepares a test report and confirms compliance with the testing principles independently of the relevant standards or PPE Ordinance.