Proposal for a method for analysing smart personal protective systems

The emergence of 'smart' or 'intelligent' personal protective systems (SPPS) raises new questions with regard to occupational risk prevention. While manufacturers and standardization bodies are wondering about the safety requirements applicable when designing or assessing such equipment, the user companies wonder about the performance and the limits of such equipment and the risks associated with its use. This article first gives a definition for SPPS in order to clarify the exchanges between the stakeholders. It then proposes a four-stage approach to deal with the concepts of systems and intelligence applied to personal protective equipment. For the 'smart' parts, it is proposed, by analogy with the field of 'machinery', to define a safety level for the 'smart' parts which participate in the individual protection functions. In order to show its applicability, this approach is then applied to four examples of SPPS.