Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services (BVCPS) announces that its Hong Kong facility has introduced new sunglasses and sunglare filters testing capabilities
The all-new optical laboratory will allow BVCPS to provide UK importers with fully-integrated testing services to ensure compliance with the requirements set out in the EN 1836 harmonised European standard for personal eye protection.
BVCPS invested in the new laboratory in response to ever-increasing requests from European retailers.
The EN 1836 harmonised standard offers a method to evaluate the general safety, optical properties and structural characteristics of sunglasses and sunglare filters for general use.
This includes filter requirements, requirements for complete sunglasses and information supplied by the manufacturer.
As sunglasses and sunglare filters are intended to protect the human eye against solar radiation/glare, these items are classified as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Therefore, complying with the EN 1836 standard provides grounds for declaring conformity to the PPE Directive 89/686/EEC.
PPE is defined as any item designed to be worn or held by an individual to protect against one or more health and safety hazards.
The PPE Directive provides basic safety requirements to assure the health protection and safety of individuals using PPE and ensures that items intended for the European market meet the highest levels possible of protection against hazards.
In addition to the EN 1836 standard for sunglasses, BVCPS's Hong Kong facility also offers testing to a set of standards ruling nickel release from sunglass frames that come into direct and prolonged contact with the skin.
According to Directive 94/27/EC, the presence of nickel in certain objects coming into direct and prolonged contact with the skin may cause sensitisation of humans to nickel that may lead to allergic reactions.
For these reasons, the use of nickel should be limited.
BVCPS's Hong Kong facility provides testing services to the ENV 14027 method for the simulation of wear before the detection of nickel release from coated metal and combination spectacle frames as well as the EN 1811 reference test method for release of nickel from products intended to come into direct and prolonged contact with the skin.
BVCPS's Hong Kong facility invested approximately $120k for the new optical laboratory, which has been staffed with expert optical technicians and fully equipped with the most up-to-date instruments and software systems.
A highly experienced optical professor was invited to train the laboratory staff to the highest standards.
