Draft Business Plan of CEN/TC 161 - Foot and leg...

Draft Business Plan ofCEN/TC 161

Date: 99-01-26Version: DraftPage: 1

Draft Business Plan of CEN/TC 161 - Foot and leg protectors

Introduction

CEN Technical Committees and Business Planning

The extension of formal business planning to CEN Technical Committees (CEN/TCs) is an importantmeasure, which forms part of a major review of business processes (known as ‘Optimization’). The aim is toalign the CEN work programme with expressed market needs and to ensure the adequate resourcing ofprojects through their development stages in the CEN/TCs. Your role in the implementation of the BusinessPlanning concept will contribute significantly to the overall effectiveness of European standardization.

We express our sincere appreciation and thanks for your time in reviewing this Business Plan.

European standardization and the role of CEN

The foremost aim of European standardization is to facilitate the exchange of goods and services though theelimination of technical barriers to trade.

The use of standards by industry and the social and economic partners is always voluntary. However,European standards are sometimes related to European legislation (Directives), and conformity to suchstandards may constitute a presumption of conformity to the legal requirements of the Directives (which mustbe met by manufacturers before certain products can be traded legally within the Single Market).

Three bodies are responsible for the planning, development and adoption of European standards: CEN(European Committee for Standardization) is responsible for all sectors excluding electrotechnical, which isthe responsibility of CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization), and most of theInformation and Communications Technologies, which are largely the responsibility of ETSI (EuropeanTelecommunications Standards Institute).

CEN is a legal association, the members of which are the National Standards Bodies (NSBs) of nineteenEuropean countries and six Associates (organizations representing social and economic interests atEuropean level) supported by a Central Secretariat based in Brussels. It is the European counterpart of ISO(International Organization for Standardization) with which it has a standing protocol (the ‘Vienna Agreement’)to facilitate technical co-operation.

The principal deliverable of CEN is the European standard (EN), which must be published by each of NSBsas an identical national standard, with any pre-existing national standards in conflict being withdrawn.

A European standard embodies the essential principles of global openness and transparency, consensus,technical coherence and national commitment. These are safeguarded through its development in a CENTechnical Committee (CEN/TC), representative of all interested parties, supported by a public commentphase (the CEN Enquiry). CEN and its Technical Committees are also able to offer the European pre-standard (ENV) and the informative CEN Report (CR) as solutions to market needs.

More recently, CEN has created the CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA) as a deliverable which aims to bridgethe gap between the activities of consortia and the formal process of standardization represented by CENand its national members. An important distinction is that the CWA is developed by CEN Workshops,comprising only participants with direct interest, and so it is not accorded the status of a European standard.

Recognising the importance of market certainty in the use of European standards, CEN and CENELEC jointlyoffer a European Mark (the Keymark), which is a third-party certification mark through which compliance withEuropean standards can be demonstrated. Proposals for European Mark Schemes may be proposed by theCEN national members, the CEN Technical Committees or any European organization.

!!!!ATTENTION!!!!

Projet de Business Plan approuvé par résolution BTC 19/1999 avec commentaires (Cliquer sur le lien hypertexte)



Scope of the CEN/TC

To prepare European standards in the field of protective footwear and leg protectors. Note: legprotectors are defined as an extension of protective footwear.

Market, Environment, and Objectives of the CEN/TC

This section establishes a sequential development of thoughts regarding the Market for which the CEN/TCaims to fulfil the needs. This sequence of thoughts starts from a description of the current market situationrelevant to the product or product grouping under consideration by the CEN/TC, continues on to ananalysis of the different factors motivating/influencing the activities of the CEN/TC, to come toclear description of objectives for the CEN/TC, together with an accompanying strategy how toreach those objectives. Finally, a general ‘risk analysis’ is included highlighting issues that maydelay or stop the CEN/TC achieving its set objectives.

Europe

Table 1 shows the apparent consumption of safety footwear for the four main European marketsover the period 1991-95. Although the overall trend has been the growth in consumption, this is byno means uniform, with Germany showing a significant decline after 1992. It is estimated that thetotal consumption of safety footwear in the European Union in 1995 was 32 million pairs.

Table 1 Safety Footwear Consumption (000’s of Pairs)

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995France 5,832 5,198 4,886 5,983 6,581Germany 8,311 8,695 6,865 6,743 7,362Italy 2,870 3,300 3,221 3,453 3,697UK* 4,250 3,536 4,559 4,431 4,541

*Leather safety footwear consumption only

Table 2 gives the size of the working population for these countries and the per capitaconsumption for 1994 only. It is not clear why France should have a higher per capita consumptioncompared with the other countries, although the calculation for the UK will be low as it is basedonly on leather safety footwear.

Table 2Working population(000’s) 1994

Per capita consumption1994

France 22,110 0.27Germany 36,076 0.19Italy 20,002 0.17UK* 25,505 0.17

*Based on leather safety footwear consumption

The safety footwear market in Europe is well established and due to high safety standards andstrict legislation on the usage of safety footwear there is a relatively high per capita consumption.The market is relatively stable and tends not to be too severely affected by recession, as peopleare still required to wear safety boots or shoes. The safety footwear market in Europe was



previously protected from extra-EU imports, by legislation in each of the member states. In 1989,two European PPE directives were introduced, which standardised legislation within the EuropeanUnion.

89/686/EEC Council Directive relating to Personal Protective Equipment89/656/EEC Council Directive on the minimum health and safety requirement for the use by

workers of personal protective equipment at the workplace.

These directives have in effect made it easier for extra-EU manufacturers to import safetyfootwear into Europe, as they only have to deal with one piece of legislation, as opposed to one foreach nation. If standards can be met, there is little to stop them importing into all Europe, acompany has to have a representative based in Europe.

Imports of safety footwear have continued to increase over the past five years, with cost being oneof the main driving factors. Although the majority of trade is still between countries of theEuropean Union, volume of imports from the Far East is growing slowly. Extra-EU imports fell as apercentage of the total in 1995, but in terms of number of pairs, they increased slightly from 2.04million pairs to 2.07 million pairs in 1995. The largest producer of safety footwear in Europe isFrance, with 7.9 million pairs. Italy is, however, the largest exporter. In 1995, it exported 5.6 millionpairs.

GLOBAL MARKET OVERVIEW

Table 1Asia & Middle East Europe Other

North America 800 300 <1

North America Europe Other

Asia & Middle East 6,500 1,200 100

Asia & Middle East North America Other

Europe 1,550 1,250 200

Asia & Middle East Europe North America

Other <1 150 600

Table 1 shows the estimated net flow of safety footwear around the world in 1995. It is importantto remember that imports and exports within the continents are not included. For this table, wehave estimated the proportion of “work footwear” imported into the USA which is safety footwear.Thus, these figures are not directly comparable to the statistics reported elsewhere. When thestatistics are shown in such a format, the strength of the Far East Nations becomes apparent. Themajority of exports from the Far East are destined for the North American market, although asignificant volume also flows to Europe. Europe is also a significant exporter, with fairly equalamounts being sent to North America and Asia and the Middle East. North America is, on theother hand, a net importer of safety footwear in the global market.

Market Situation



The total sales volume for all European member States in the Foot & Leg protection area (PPE)are 1 billion ECU. The number of manufactures is 260.

Accident statistics show that injury to the lower leg and foot account for 15 % of all work relatedaccidents that necessitate time away from work. Injuries resulting from tripping and falling accountfor a further 20% of the total, but many of those may be other parts of the body. In total numbers,footwear related injuries account for about 35 % of work related injuries. The cost of suchaccidents across Europe is in excess of 75 M ECU.

The European Directives have been produced to make the workplace safer and a key objective ofCEN/TC 161 is to provide standards which ensure that products placed on the market provide thelevel of protection needed to meet this requirement.

Market Environment

Political, economical, social, technical, legal and international factors that either directly requiresome or all of the standardisation activities proposed by the CEN/TC, or significantly influence theway these activities are carried out are the following:

Directives 93/95/EEC, 93/68/EEC and 96/58/EEC amended the Council Directive 89/686/EEC.The Council Directive 89/656/EEC was supplemented by a Commission Communicationconcerning the assessment of the safety aspects of personal protective equipment with a view ofthe choice and use thereof (89/C 328/02).Following mandates and order vouchers concerning standards for personal protective equipmenthave been allocated to the work of the CEN/TC 161:

-BC/CEN/09/88-BC/CEN/02/90-BC/CEN/03/031/93/30

Objectives of the CEN/TC and Strategies for their Achievement

Based on the considerations above, the CEN/TC proposes the following objectives and strategicdirections for its future work:

Objectives of the CEN/TC 161:

Elaboration of standards for safety, protective, occupational and other specific job related footwear(e.g. forestry footwear, motorcyclists' footwear, fire-fighters footwear, etc.).

Strategies adopted to reach the Objectives

Where there are inadequate or inefficient test methods and performance standards available forany safety features needed by the users, the TC will bring together groups of experts to quantifythe need, facilitate the development of test methods and encourage work to establish performanceguidelines.

To work with other TC’s to assist in the development of requirements not previously called up intechnical standards, such as ergonomic features to be built into the footwear and guidance on theselection and use of PPE.



Risk analysis

The objectives of the CEN/TC can only be met with the voluntary support from manufacturers,RTO’s and users’ groups. This support will only be forthcoming if these groups see that thenecessary external support is provided to ensure that action is taken to effectively use thestandards in the market place.

Currently many contributors doubt that enforcement agencies have the capability or willingness toensure that the PPE Directive is enforced.

There also continues to be doubt that sufficient attention is being applied to ensuring consistentapplication of the Directives across the EU. This doubt must be eliminated to ensure continuedsupport to the standards making work. There continues to be too many instances where nationalinterests are given priority.

Most of the basic items of footwear are now covered by the EN 344 to EN 347 range of standards,which are now under revision. This revision will provide the opportunity to remove many of theminor problems that have been identified.

There are, however, several new areas where specific expertise is needed to produce effectivesolutions. One such example is chemical resistance of footwear (WI 00161027). At first sight itseems simple to suggest that work on chemical protective gloves, clothing, etc. can be used. Inpart this is true, but the demands and weaknesses brought about by the footwear constructionproblem, the demands of wear, etc. may necessitate unique solutions. In the absence of fundingthe necessary work may not be undertaken, resulting in an ineffective or unsuitable standard thatfalls into disrepute.

Another potential problem arises where an industry in one country has its own standard, whichother countries may consider overdemanding. If this is brought to the CEN table, compromise mayagain result in a poor standard (the UK foundry boot standard and the German miners' could fallinto this category).



Work Programme

This section gives an overview of existing and planned standardisation projects, called Work Items(WI). The aim of this listing is to demonstrate the adequacy of the proposed programme of workwith the actual market or stakeholders’ needs. You will find that the projects are listed accordingthe Working Group that is responsible for the drafting of the documents. More comprehensiveinformation regarding the CEN/TC structure can be found under the next section ‘CEN/TCStructure and Resources’.

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CEN/TC 161 - Foot and leg protectors

Reference : 00161019 Available : 2001-02 as ENSafety, protective and occupational footwear for professional use - Test method andspecifications for the determination of slip resistanceProposed Action(s) : This WI should appear under the programme of work of CEN/TC 161 WG 3.Comments :

Reference : 00161039 Available : 2003-09 as EN (?)Foot and leg protectors - Requirements and test methods for protective footwear for metalfabricatingProposed Action(s) : This WI should appear listed under the programme of work of CEN/TC 161WG 1.Comments :

Reference : 00161040 Available : 2000-03 as ENOccupational footwear for professional use - Specification (EN 347 Amendment 2)Proposed Action(s) :Comments : This work item should appear within the programme of the WG 2 as it is part of aseries.

CEN/TC 161/WG 2 - Specifications for footwear for professional use

Reference : 00161025 Available : 2000-03 as ENSafety, protective and occupational footwear for professional use - Requirements and testmethods (EN 344 Amendment 2)Proposed Action(s) : This WI should appear listed under the programme of work of CEN/TC 161WG 1.Comments :



Reference : 00161026 Available : 2000-03 as ENSafety footwear for professional use - Specification (EN 345 Amendment 2)Proposed Action(s) :Comments :

Reference : 00161027 Available : 2001-09 as EN (?)Foot and leg protectors - Requirements and test methods for safety, protective andoccupational footwear with resistance to hazardous chemicalsProposed Action(s) : This WI should appear listed under the programme of work of CEN/TC 161WG 1.Comments :

Reference : 00161028 Available : 2000-09 as ENProtective footwear for professional use - Specification (EN 346 Amendment 2)Proposed Action(s) :Comments :

Reference : 00161030 Available : 2002-09 as EN (?)Foot and leg protectors - Requirements and test methods for the resistance to hydrolysis ofpolyurethane uppers and outsoles in safety, protective and occupational footwearProposed Action(s) : Work Item to be cancelledComments : This is due to lack of funding and complexity of work which would need moreallocated resources and extended time scales. Members of the TC are considering alternativesources of funding in order to develop a draft; once current obstacles are overcome, the proposalwill be presented to the TC for development as EN.

Reference : 00161031 Available : 2000-12 as EN (?)In house determination of electrical resistance of anti-static and conductive footwearProposed Action(s) : Extend target dates in 9 months.Comments :There is a CEN R & D project on the same subject which showed its results in 1998-12. TC members would need more time to familiarise with those results in order to produce a draft,therefore the set target dates will not be met.

Reference : 00161032 Available : 2001-09 as EN (?)Foot and leg protectors - Test methods for the determination of the water resistance ofsafety, protective and occupational footwear (machine method)Proposed Action(s) : This WI should appear listed under the programme of work of CEN/TC 161WG 1.Comments :

Reference : 00161033 Available : 2002-03 as EN (?)Foot and leg protectors - Requirements and test methods for shanks used in safety,protective and occupational footwearProposed Action(s) : This WI should appear listed under the programme of work of CEN/TC 161WG 1.Comments :



Reference : 00161035 Available : 2001-03 as EN (?)Draft test method for insoles - Dynamic water absorption and desorptionProposed Action(s) : This WI should appear listed under the programme of work of CEN/TC 161WG 1.Comments :

Reference : 00161036 Available : 2001-09 as EN (?)Foot and leg protectors - Method for determination of the water vapour permeability andwater vapour coefficient of safety, protective and occupational footwearProposed Action(s) : Work Item to be cancelledComments : This is due to lack of funding and complexity of work.

Reference : 00161037 Available : 2002-03 as EN (?)Foot and leg protectors - Requirements and test methods for safety, protective andoccupational footwear with ankle protectionProposed Action(s) : This WI should appear listed under the programme of work of CEN/TC 161WG 1.Comments :

Reference : New WI Available : 2001-09 as EN (?)Fire-fighters’footwearProposed Action(s) : To include the new work item within the programmeof

work with the following scope and justification:

Scope: This European Standard specifies test methods and requirements for safety footwear withresistance to fire fighting hazards.

Justification: CEN/TC 161 decided by resolution 066 to start work on fire-fighters' footwear as partof the EN 344 to EN 347 series of revised standards. The purpose of this work is to set up specificrequirements for fire-fighter's footwear following an increasing demand for standards in industry.

Comments : This new WI has been approved under CEN/TC 161 Resolution 66/1998.

Reference : New WI Available : 2001-09 as EN (?)Forestry footwearProposed Action(s) : To include the new work item within the programme ofwork with the following scope and justification:

Scope: This European Standard specifies test methods and requirements for safety footwear forforestry use.

Justification: CEN/TC 161 decided by resolution 067 to start work on forestry footwear as part ofthe EN 344 to EN 347 series of revised standards. The purpose of this work is to set up specificrequirements for forestry footwear following an increasing need of standards in industry.

Comments : This new WI has been approved under CEN/TC 161 Resolution 67/1998.

The CEN/TC is currently revising EN 344:1992 to EN 347:1992 series of standards following the 5year review. Those revisions will incorporate the second parts to the standards as well as their



amendments and will be developed under the Vienna Agreement with CEN lead (Resolution 68 ofTC 161).

Based on the above proposed planning, the completion of the present WorkProgramme is scheduled for 2003-09, based on the assumption this Draft BusinessPlan is approved by the CEN Technical Board by 1999-04.



European Publications for this CEN/TC

This section gives a list of European Publications that have been published by the CEN/TC andthe information whether or not their references have been published in the Official Journal of theEuropean Communities.

EN 344:1992 Reference published in the OJECRequirements and test methods for safety, protective and occupational footwear forprofessional use

EN 344:1992/A1:1997 Reference published in the OJECRequirements and test methods for safety, protective and occupational footwear forprofessional use

EN 344:1992/AC:1993Requirements and test methods for safety, protective and occupational footwear forprofessional use

EN 344-2:1996 Reference published in the OJECSafety, protective and occupational footwear for professional use - Part 2: Additionalrequirements and test methods

EN 345:1992 Reference published in the OJECSpecification for safety footwear for professional use

EN 345:1992/A1:1997 Reference published in the OJECSpecification for safety footwear for professional use

EN 345-2:1996 Reference published in the OJECSafety footwear for professional use - Part 2: Additional specifications

EN 346:1992 Reference published in the OJECSpecification for protective footwear for professional use

EN 346:1992/A1:1997 Reference published in the OJECSpecification for protective footwear for professional use

EN 346-2:1996 Reference published in the OJECProtective footwear for professional use - Part 2: Additional specifications

EN 347:1992 Reference published in the OJECSpecification for occupational footwear for professional use

EN 347:1992/A1:1997 Reference published in the OJECSpecification for occupational footwear for professional use

EN 347-2:1996 Reference published in the OJECOccupational footwear for professional use - Part 2: Additional specifications

EN 12568:1998Foot and leg protectors - Requirements and test methods for toecaps and metalpenetration resistant inserts



CEN/TC Structure and Resources

This section gives an overview of the existing and planned standardisation structure for thisCEN/TC and its resources, which are required to be able to elaborate the above listed projects.Only structures directly responsible for standardisation projects (WIs) are listed. Therefore, no co-ordination or advisory groups are included. Again, the aim of this listing is to demonstrate theadequacy of available resources with regard to the anticipated workload.

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Chairperson : Mr M . J. PeetSecretary : Mr J. AlcortaCEN Member responsible : BSIAdditional human resources that the CEN/TC would like to participate in their work, e.g.specificexpertise :Proposed Action(s) :Comments :The Chairman was elected by TC 161 under Resolution 63.

Editing CommitteeConvenor : Mr M. J. PeetSecretary : Mr J. Alcorta

CEN/TC 161/WG 1 - Requirements and test methods for footwear for professional use

The scope of the WG is : . To prepare European standards with the requirements and testmethods for footwear for professional use.Convenor: Mr T. A. HoltSecretary : Mr T. A. HoltBalanced participation of interested groups is ensured : YProposed Action(s) :

Comments : ♦ At the very first TC meeting in 1989 two working groups were formed.

WG 1 Test methods and specificationsWG 2 Specifications for safety footwear.

♦ At the 1st. working group meeting at HAAN (1989) and under pressure from theparticipating manufacturers from England, Germany and France, it was decided to create threecategories of footwear:



- Safety footwear for professional use (with 200 joule toe protection)

- Protective Footwear for professional use (with 100 joule toe protection)

- Occupational Footwear for professional use which had to possess at least one safety feature.

This decision was taken in order to have a clear distinction between « safety » and other levels ofprotection.

♦ The strategy of the working groups and the TC was to harmonise existing standards:essentially:

BS 1870 Part I (UK)BS 953 (UK)

DIN 4043 (Germany)NFS 73010 (France)

In this way terminology, test methods and specifications, evolved simultaneously. From the outset,WG1 and WG2 held « joint meetings » since the same experts were involved.

The work has been carried out in meetings with relatively little correspondence, and the workinglanguage has always been ENGLISH.

At the onset the meeting frequency was high, 3 or 4 WG meetings per year and this was in orderto satisfy the CEN deadlines, which were respected. EN344 - 345 - 346 and 347 were publishedin 1992.

At the present time the working groups meet only twice a year.

♦The results obtained were due to the action of harmonizing existing standards butprobably more largely by the technical input of the test houses (SATRA, PFI, INESCOP, CNMP,RICOTEST, CIMAC and CTC) and the active support from European safety footwearmanufacturers and federations.

- Throughout this period liaison has been established with other TC’S for specific subjects :

- CEN/TC 162 - Chainsaw protection

- CENELEC/TC 78 - Safety footwear for work in electrically hazardous conditions. This TC has the responsibility for developing test methods and specifications for footwear, that TC/161 should adopt.

- CEN/TC 122 Ergonomic aspects.

- As regards the constraints which have a tendency to retard completion of the work programme.The major factor is finance. The current outstanding items are those that present technicaldifficulties (slip resistance) and those, which require costly co-normative research (hydrolysis).

- The number of days per year that can be attributed to convening meetings, preparing reports etc.are of the order 20. However the days dedicated to auxiliary tasks:

- Editing committee



- Translation etc…

Probably double this figure and this is likely to increase with the revision of the standard, whichwas begun in June 1998.

CEN/TC 161/WG 2 - Specifications for footwear for professional use

The scope of the WG is : . To prepare European standards with the specifications for footwear forprofessional use.Convenor: Mr H. HeidSecretary : Mr H. HeidBalanced participation of interested groups is ensured : YProposed Action(s) :Comments :

CEN/TC 161/WG 3 - Slip resistance of footwear for professional use

The scope of the WG is : .To prepare a European standard with the test methods andrequirements for the slip resistance of safety, protective and occupational footwear.Convenor: Dr J.GauglhoferSecretary : Dr J.Gauglhofer

Balanced participation of interested groups is ensured : YProposed Action(s) :Comments : Work usually was conducted in meetings, editorial changes often by exchange ofword documents (changes indicated, questions inserted) via e-mail.

Liason with ISO was close due to joint meetings, the Vienna agreement thus covered.

The delay in the assurance of funding certainly delayed the work of WG 3. The amount of workdone for WG 3 varies strongly. At present it is about 5 days a year, during the interlaboratoryexperiment which WG 3 conducted, it was about 30 to 40 days a year.

CEN/TC 161/WG 4 - Protective footwear for sports and leisure

The scope of the WG is : . To prepare European standards in the field of protective footwear forsports and leisure.Convenor: VacantSecretary : VacantProposed Action(s) :.Comments : There is no current work undertaken by the WG. TC 161, advised by the CENConsultant, decided not to cancel this WG in order to allow future work.



Annex 1: Glossary of terms and abbreviations for the CEN/TC BusinessPlan

NB: This glossary gives the full name and status of terms used, in abbreviated form or in full, in the above“Business Plan for CEN/TCs”. The glossary also gives the source of the information provided.Glossary intends to help with the understanding of the terms used. Whenever any of these terms are usedby contributors to this Business Plan, they are requested to use them coherently as foreseen in the glossary.

Term Abbrev. Definitionstandardization4) --- The activity of establishing, with regard to actual or

potential problems, normative documents for common andrepeated use, aimed at the achievement of the optimumdegree of order in a given context.

standard4) & 5) --- A technical specification or other document available tothe public, drawn up with the cooperation and consensusor general approval of all interested parties affected by it,based on the consolidated results of science, technologyand experience, aimed at the promotion of optimumcommunity benefits and approved by a recognizedstandardizing body on the national, regional, orinternational level for repeated or continuous application,with which compliance is not mandatory.

package of standards2) --- A group, as small as possible, of inter-related standards inthe scope of one or more CEN/TCs which are usuallydeveloped simultaneously to one another as parts of onestandard, or standards that must be developedsimultaneously to meet a common DOW (‘date ofwithdrawal’ of conflicting national standards).

CEN/TC EuropeanStandardizationDeliverables :2)

European Standard EN A CEN/CENELEC (and ESTI) standard that carries with itthe obligation to be implemented at national level by beinggiven the status of a national standard and by withdrawalof any conflicting national standards.

European Pre-Standard

ENV Prospective CEN/CENELEC standards for provisionalapplication in technical fields where the innovation rate ishigh or when there is an urgent need for guidance andprimarily where aspects of safety for persons and goodsare not involved. If national standards exist that conflictwith a pre-standard, it is not obligatory to withdraw them.

CEN Report CR A CEN/CENELEC publication authorised by the TechnicalBoard in order to provide information.

Harmonization Document

HD A CEN/CENELEC standard that carries with it theobligation to be implemented at national level, at least bypublic announcement of the HD number and title, and bywithdrawal of any conflicting national standards.

CEN Standstill2) --- An agreement among the CEN members to not take anyaction, either during the preparation of an EN or HD, orafter its approval, which could prejudice the harmonizationintended and in particular, to not publish a new or revisednational standard which is not completely in line with anexisting EN.



Term Abbrev. Definition

European Directive7) e.g. :89/106/EEC

A legislative instrument within the European Union whichis binding for Member States with regards to the objectiveto be achieved but which leaves to the national authoritiesthe choice of form and methods used to attain theobjectives which were agreed on at EU level within theirdomestic legal systems.

EC/EFTA mandate3) M/xxx A political request regarding a specific area of interestaccording to which the European Commission and/orEFTA formally invites European Standardizationorganizations to develop standards on a voluntary basiswithin a given time limit by consensus amongst allinterested parties involved. In many cases, a mandate isgiven by the EC and/or EFTA to support Directives, inparticular New Approach Directives (EssentialRequirements), or a particular industrial policy.

New ApproachDirectives1) ---

Directives that have been put into force since May 1985 bythe Council of the European Communities which define‘legislative harmonization in those sectors where barriersto trade are created by justified divergent nationalregulations concerning the health and safety of citizensand consumer and environmental protection, will beconfined to laying down the ‘essential requirements’,conformity with which will entitle a product to freemovement within the Community.’

EssentialRequirements1)

--- Requirements that represent the core of Union law aroundwhich an effective policy has been developed in matters ofsafety, health and other measures for those areas coveredby the ‘new approach directives’.

‘harmonized standard’6) --- A European standard that is developed under a mandatefrom the EC and/or EFTA and which supports “essentialrequirements” of a New Approach Directive of theEuropean Union. If in addition, its reference is publishedin the OJEC, it gives presumption of conformity to the“essential requirements” of the related Directive.

Official Journal of theEuropeanCommunities

OJEC An official publication of the Institutions of the EuropeanUnion which is published daily.

presumption ofconformity

--- If a manufacturer attests that a product conforms to aharmonized standard whose reference is published in theOJEC, the national authorities accept that the product orservice fulfils the “essential requirements’ of the Directiveconcerned.

Technical Committee3) CEN/TC A technical body responsible for the programming andplanning of technical work and the monitoring andexecution of this technical work. The CEN/TC is alsoresponsible for the consensus building process among itsmembers for individual work items.

Editing Committee3) --- A committee set up by a technical body (CEN/TC or SC)at the beginning of its work, which represents the threeofficial languages of CEN. It is responsible for the correctformulation and presentation of the standard(s) preparedby the technical body (CEN/TC or SC) and the



Term Abbrev. Definitionequivalence of the texts in the three official languages.

CEN/TC Sub-committee3)

SC A technical body reporting to a CEN/TC, which within adefine portion of the scope of this CEN/TC, is responsiblefor the monitoring and execution of this technical work.On behalf of the CEN/TC, the SC is also responsible forthe consensus building process among its members forindividual work items

CEN/TC WorkinggroupandCEN/SC Workinggroup3)

WG A technical body, appointed by the CEN/TC or CEN//SCand composed of experts, responsible for the drafting ofstandards, in accordance to the CEN rules and the clearspecifications set by the CEN/TC or CEN/SC.

Work Item number3) WI The identification number given to a standards project in astandards work programme. It is intended that thestandards project leads to the issue of a new, amended orrevised standard.

InternationalOrganization forStandardization

ISO

Vienna Agreement VA Agreement on technical co-operation between ISO andCEN.

VA CEN lead --- Technical co-operation between ISO and CEN under theVA, where the work is done by the CEN/TC or SC, wherea formal notification of interest was received by CEN fromISO, and where parallel synchronised procedures areapplied in ISO and CEN for the approval processes.

VA ISO lead --- Technical co-operation between ISO and CEN under theVA, where the work is done by the ISO/TC, where a formalnotification of interest was received by ISO from CEN, andwhere parallel synchronised procedures are applied in ISOand CEN for the approval processes.

Sources used:1) Abécassis, Jacques, The New Approach - Legislation and standards on the free movement ofgoods in Europe, Second edition updated, CEN: Stewart Sanson, CENELEC : Stephen Marriot, 1997-01.

2) CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations, Part 2: Common Rules for Standards Work, 1996-06

3) The CEN System Handbook, CEN Central Secretariat, Training Tools and Support Unit.

4) EN 45020:1998 - Standardization and related activities - General vocabulary (ISO/IEC Guide2:1996), Brussels : CEN Central Secretariat, 1998-02.5) European Commission, Common standards for enterprises, Florence Nicolas with the co-operation of Jacques Repussard, Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities,1995.

6) European Commission, Guide to the implementation of Community harmonization directivesbased on the new approach and the global approach - First Edition, Luxembourg: Office for OfficialPublications of the European Communities, 1994.

7) European Documentation, ABC of Community Law, K.D. Borchardt, Luxembourg: Office for OfficialPublications of the European Communities, 1994.

Comments on draft Business Plan ofCEN/TC 161

Date: 1999-01-26Page: 1/8

Comments resolution report on Draft Business Plan of


CS COMMENTS

General

Scope

What you propose in the “proposed action” is not clear; there is no change in thescope as it was accepted by CEN/BT

Comment accepted by Secretariat

Liaisons

The Business Plan should mention the interested parties in the standardisation workof the CEN/TC 161, as well as the liaisons

There is no specific clause requiring this within the template

Legal aspects

The Council Directive 89/686/EEC was amended by Directives 93/95/EEC,93/68/EEC and 96/58/EEC. The Council Directive 89/656/EEC was supplemented bya Commission Communication concerning the assessment of the safety aspects ofpersonal protective equipment with a view of the choice and use thereof (89/C328/02).

Following mandates and order vouchers concerning standards for personal protectiveequipment have been allocated to the work of the CEN/TC 161:

-BC/CEN/09/88

-BC/CEN/02/90

-BC/CEN/03/031/93/30

Comment accepted by Secretariat

Objectives and strategy

The objectives of the CEN/TC 161 concern the elaboration of standards for safety,protective, occupational and other specific job related to footwear. What does “otherspecific job” cover ?

It covers forestry, miners, foundry, fire-fighters' footwear, etc.


Date: 1999-01-26Page: 2/8

If the objectives of the TC focus on the elaboration of standards, what are theelements in the strategies which will support the CEN/TC 161 to produce in timerelevant standards ?

The usual elements, EU funding, secretariat's support, contribution of expertsand work of the project group (or convenor) leader.

Risk analysis

Solutions should be proposed where possible (i.e. financing sources for the chemicalresistance of footwear, different national quality levels,...)

At this moment in time it is difficult to provide solutions, certain avenues arebeen explored but nothing has been decided yet.

Program of workIs the deletion of the WI 30 and WI 36 a solution for the lack of funding, if thestandard is deemed to be necessary? They are both mandated.

It was a decision taken by TC members. As they are considered importantitems, they will be considered in the future when the current problems areovercome (rather than delay the target dates).

WARNING

The comments given below are based on the information included in the draftBusiness Plan as received at CEN/CS for cleaning up.

It is however possible that current developments (e.g. submission of a draft Standardto an adoption procedure, TC Resolution, ...) will result at short notice in modificationsof the information in the central CEN/CS database and that, consequently, somecomments given below will no longer be valid at the moment the revised draftBusiness Plan will be established.

Moreover, it is clearly stated in the ‘Guidance Material for the Establishment of aCEN/TC Business Plan’ that TC Secretaries shall not modify the existing data fieldsdirectly but shall use the headings ‘Proposed Actions’ and ‘Comments’ to request thataction be taken and/or information be modified at CEN/CS. As a consequence, anymodification or rearrangement of data introduced by a TC Secretary in the draftBusiness Plan will not result in a modification of the CEN/CS database unless it ismentioned plainly under the headings ‘Proposed Actions’ or ‘Comments’, or unless itis detected by chance.


Date: 1999-01-26Page: 3/8

Work Programme

WI number 00161019/040/028/033/037

problem

action taken TC forecasts updated

remark/request please note that the time set between stage 40 & stage 49(between 12 and 18 months) seems optimistic.

WI number 00161040:

the availability date should be input (2000-03) calculated from the forecast 49 (1999-06)

NOTE: When the program of work is produced by the BP’ tool, the availability date isautomatically calculated by adding 9 months to the forecast for stage 49.

When you modify the forecast later manually, you have to do the calculation yourself(also for the general availability date for the whole programme)

WI number 00161030 and 00161036

problem

action taken

request They will be deleted in March 1999 (at the deadline of the BT CORR forthe Business Plan). EC will be informed accordingly

WI number 00161008/009/010/011(= Revisions of En’s 344/345/346 and EN 347:1992)

problem

action taken

remark/request The new WI numbers will be created in March 1999 (afterapproval of the Business Plan).

Structure and resources of the TCThere is no scope nor resources for the working groups. It is clearly stated in CENSystem Handbook in PROG/WG “Guidelines for the work of Working Groups” that :

5.2 It is the responsibility of the Technical Committee to establish and ensuresufficient resources for the Working Group's activity and to provide the WorkingGroup with clear work specifications....

and

5.2.1 The clear work specifications for the Working Group shall be a part ofthe Business Plan of the parent Technical Committee....


Date: 1999-01-26Page: 4/8

Is there no secretarial support, nor professional standardisation support for theworking groups?

Comment accepted by Secretariat (and information included in the BP)

Remark:

The comments of the WG’s could be structured as the general part of the BusinessPlan with headings as objectives, strategy, liaisons, risk analysis,...

CEN/TC 161

problem New Chairman

action taken

remark/request Is there already a TC Resolution? If yes, please provide us withthe attached formatted resolution for processing. If no, will youtake a TC resolution or shall this be submitted to the BT forapproval as part of the Business Plan? Please provide us with hiscomplete details.

Chairman's commitment to this CEN/TC for the next three years ismissing .

There is a resolution by the TC (63), these resolutions have been sent to CEN CS afterthe plenary meeting in Dec 98.

WG number WG 1

problem

action taken CEN Member responsible recorded (France)

remark/request please provide the scope

WG number WG 2

problem

action taken CEN Member responsible recorded (Germany)


WG number WG 3

problem

action taken CEN Member responsible recorded (Switzerland)


Comment accepted by Secretariat and scopes incorporated.


Date: 1999-01-26Page: 5/8

WG number WG 4

problem to be cancelled

action taken

remark/request Is there already a TC Resolution? If no, will you take a TCresolution or shall this be submitted to the BT for approval as partof the Business Plan?

The TC decided not to delete the WG as recommended by the PPE Rapporteur,this is in order to maintain a structure which allows thedevelopment of future standards for sports footwear.

OTHER COMMENTS RECEIVED:

From Convenor of WG 3:

Correct spelling of his name (accepted).

Correct spelling throughout the document (accepted).

Include EN 381 parts 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 9 in the BP as related to the programme of

work. Not accepted, the BP programme of work will only list those items

developed by TC 161.

From Mr García Mínguez - AENOR-(Spain)

WI 019 should be listed under WG 3; WI 039 under WG 1 and WI 040 under WG 2and not at TC level. Accepted.

To bring WI's into line with the title of WG's, their distribution should be: WG 1:WI's 25.27.30.31.32.33.35.36.37 and 39.

WG 2: WI's 26.28 and 40.

WG 3: WI 19

WG 4 should be deleted because TC 309 is developing the relevant ENstandards. Not accepted because of TC decision and PPE Rapporteur'srecommendation.

In order to optimise resources, the structure of this TC should be reduced totwo WG (specifications and test methods) mainly if the experts are the same for


Date: 1999-01-26Page: 6/8

both WGs. Not accepted, although the experts are mainly the same, the twoconvenors have different tasks and act as project leaders; both convenors arenecessary to develop standards.

In page 14 it is said that TC 161 has established liaison with TC 162. In thissense, I want to make the following remark:

If the title of TC 161 is in line with its scope, the leg and foot protectors forChainsaw users should have been developed by this TC in liaison with TC 162and not by TC 162 in liaison with TC 161 as has occurred.

The Secretary could not find records of why this has happened this way.


Date: 1999-01-26Page: 7/8

Annex 1

Guidance for the establishment of TC forecastsNB : This guidance has been elaborated for the establishment of TC forecasts for thedevelopment of EN’s to be adopted through a CEN Enquiry followed by a FormalVote. However, it is also useful for the establishment of TC forecasts for other types ofdeliverable (e.g. ENV’s) and/or other adoption procedures (e.g. UAP).

The only forecasts to be transmitted by the TC Secretaries to CS and registered in thecentral CS database are the TC forecasts for 3 essential stages in the development ofeach project, i.e.:

- stage 32 first circulation of a working document to the responsible TC

- stage 40 dispatch of a draft from the TC Secretary to CS for submission toCEN Enquiry

- stage 49 dispatch of a draft from the TC Secretary to CS for submission toFormal Vote

Initially these TC forecasts are approved by the BT (representing the commitment ofthe CEN System) and must be adhered to. New TC forecasts indicate that the TCcannot keep its commitment and must be fully justified to the CEN System. Note thatthese new forecasts do not lead to an automatic update or change of other sets ofdate such as: contractual dates in order vouchers, CEN System dates of BT. Theestablishment of valid TC forecasts for these only 3 stages requires a more detailedplanning including intermediate stages/phases after analysis of the different parts ofthe process for the elaboration of a CEN Standard. In particular, the followingelements should be considered :

From the beginning of the work up to stage 40

In terms of average time, for all CEN/TC’s and per CEN/TC, between the approval ofa work item and stage 40, the BT set 20 months as objective. The actual average timefor all CEN work items in development, as at 1998-07-31, was 33 months.

However, the actual time for individual projects will vary significantly from project toproject, according to the difficulty of the subject and the way the work is organised andplanned for. In particular, the following questions should be considered:

− Has the TC clearly defined through a TC work instruction (to be counted as theinitial work item scope) the job to be done in the Working Group?

− Who will provide a first draft and by what date? Alternatively, is there no suitableavailable document which could be considered as a first draft or even be submittedas such to the PQ procedure?

− In case difficulties to reach consensus in the working group are anticipated(different national traditions/practices), has a strategy been defined (e.g.commitment from relevant professional organisation(s) to provide support)?

− Who will provide the 3 language versions and by what date?

− Has a TC Editing Committee been established and are the resources committed?

− By whom and how will it be ensured that the draft complies with the CEN rules?


Date: 1999-01-26Page: 8/8

Guidance on these questions is given in the CSH, under topics

− Preparation of CEN enquiry (filing code ‘ENQ/EN/TC);

− Translation procedure (filing code ‘DRAFT/EN’);

− Guidelines for the work of the Working Groups (filing code ‘PROGR/WG).

From stage 40 to stage 49

In terms of average time, for all CEN/TC’s and per CEN/TC, between stage 40 andstage 49, the BT set 17 months as objective. The actual average time for all CENwork items in development, as at 1998-07-31, was 27 months.

The process from stage 40 to stage 49 can be split as follows:

− Preparation of the draft in CS and submission to the CEN Enquiry (i.e. from stage40 to stage 41): 2 months, as fixed in the CEN Memorandum N°1;

− CEN Enquiry: 6 months, as fixed in the CEN rules (5 months for a parallel CEN/ISOEnquiry, Vienna Agreement);

− Establishment of the results of the CEN Enquiry (table of replies and comments): tobe carried out by the TC Secretary immediately at the end of the CEN Enquiry (seeCSH, chapter ‘Reporting and handling of comments after CEN enquiry, filing code‘ENQ/EN/TC);

− Planning, announcing and holding of a “Comments Resolution Meeting” within the4 months following the end of the CEN Enquiry;

− Resolution of comments and finalization of the final document:

− see CSH, chapter ‘Reporting and handling of comments after CEN enquiry,filing code ‘ENQ/EN/TC;

− the finalization of the 3 language versions (who and by when) should not beoverlooked;

− the TC secretary must deliver to the CEN Members (copy to CS), right afterthe comments resolution meeting, a table of decisions taken on the receivedcomments;

− Approval of the final document by the TC for submission to the Formal Vote: shouldbe carried out by correspondence.

Forecast for stage 32

At least one version of the draft prepared by the relevant Working Group shall becirculated to the parent TC before being sent to CS for submission to the CENEnquiry. This version shall be representative of the technical development of the workitem, i.e. by showing, in particular, the technical answers given to the requiredspecifications. The TC Secretary should give a TC document number to this versionand send a copy to CS, requesting them to register it as “stage 32 realised” in the CSdatabase.

The analysis carried out for establishing a forecast for stage 40 (see above) will showquite naturally when a draft should be exposed to the TC (forecast for stage 32).

Draft Business Plan of CEN/TC 161 - Foot and leg...

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