China Personal Protective Equipment Expo | Upholding Rigorous Testing Standards to Build a Solid Safety Defense Line
The China Personal Protective Equipment Expo recognizes that personal protective equipment (PPE) serves as the core barrier in safeguarding the safety and health of workers in operational environments.
In 2024, the unqualified rate for spot checks on special labor protection products reached 11.7%, highlighting prominent quality risks. The new regulation GB 31420-2025, which took effect on July 1, 2026, fills the gap in the control of hazardous substances in protective equipment. It covers eight major product categories and specifies testing standards for 13 restricted substances, and has now become a key reference for enterprise product acceptance, certification, and export compliance.
Safety helmets are tested in accordance with GB 2811-2019 and must undergo pretreatment under high and low temperature and water immersion conditions. The core assessments are impact absorption and penetration resistance. The impact force is limited to 4,900N, and the steel cone must not reach the headform during penetration testing, which can significantly reduce head injury risks in operations. Products are classified into general and special types to suit different working conditions. The sampling size for testing is four helmets, with three tested and one held in reserve.
Protective face shields are tested according to GB/T 32166-2015 and must meet requirements for impact resistance, flame retardancy, and low leakage rates. The shield must show no damage upon impact, the afterflame duration must not exceed 5 seconds, and the leakage rate for respiratory facepieces must not exceed 8%. These products are suitable for welding, chemical industry, and other similar scenarios. Protective gloves comply with GB 24541-2022, which newly adds anti-impact testing. Basic performance indicators such as abrasion resistance and puncture resistance must reach Level 1 or above. Products that meet anti-impact standards may carry an exclusive identification mark.
Safety shoes follow the national standard GB 21148-2020, which is aligned with international standards. The core tests evaluate 200J impact resistance and 1,100N puncture resistance, covering categories such as anti-smashing, electrical insulation, and anti-static properties. The sampling size is five pairs for general safety shoes and four pairs for insulating shoes. Anti-static testing must be conducted under standard constant temperature and humidity conditions to ensure data accuracy.
Compliance testing requires well-equipped facilities and professional laboratories. In addition to basic equipment for impact, puncture, flame retardancy, and high/low temperature testing, adaptation to the new GB 31420-2025 regulation also necessitates precision instruments such as ICP-MS and GC-MS to complete quantitative detection of various toxic and hazardous substances. Qingxi Technology Research Institute is a professional testing organization holding dual qualifications of CMA and CNAS. It is capable of undertaking full-item testing for all eight categories of protective equipment and issuing test reports with legal validity and international mutual recognition.
The institute features comprehensive laboratory facilities with clearly defined zones, equipped with a full suite of high-end industry testing instruments. With 29 branches nationwide, over 500 professional technical personnel, more than 20,000 square meters of laboratory space, it issues an average of over 20,000 test reports annually and has served more than 40,000 government, enterprise, research, and corporate clients. Its testing capabilities are authoritative and reliable.
When selecting a testing organization, enterprises may follow the "Four Checks" principle: First, check qualifications—confirm that the organization holds dual CMA and CNAS qualifications covering all core testing standards; second, check capabilities—ensure it has complete sample pretreatment capabilities and the ability to test for hazardous substances under the new regulation; third, check equipment—verify that it is equipped with both basic performance and precision testing instruments that are regularly calibrated; fourth, check track record—prioritize organizations with extensive industry case experience, successful proficiency testing results, and no record of violations. This comprehensive approach ensures that protective equipment testing is compliant, accurate, and effective.
Source: https://m.sohu.com/a/1036693380_122881820/
