Trading standards officers from Northamptonshire County Council arranged for safety helmets to be tested against the requirements of the Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 2002 in January 2012.

Northampton Magistrates Court heard the tests included a Jewson Safety Helmet purchased from the company’s store in Corby.

When tested the helmet did not comply with the shock absorption test in EN 397.

A further six  helmets were purchased from another Jewson branch in Northampton and three of these also failed the same test.

The helmets stated “complies with : EN397” and had been imported from China by the company.

Jewson  were only able to produce a test certificate from 2001 despite selling over 63,000 of them over an 11 year period.

Councillor Andre Gonzalez de Savage, county council cabinet member for strategic infrastructure, economic growth and public protection said: “I’m pleased that Trading Standards have investigated and prosecuted this case.

“It is impossible for users to detect this kind of issue for themselves and therefore it is vital that our officers proactively monitor the safety of products on sale.

“All manufacturers and importers need to carry out regular testing to ensure their products meet safety standards.

Magistrates fined the Coventry-based business £2,500 on each of four offences and £4,000 for the latter offence.  Costs of £7,500 were awarded to trading standards.

A spokesperson for Jewson said: “As soon as we became aware of the issue, the product was immediately removed from all Jewson branches.

“Jewson takes matters of compliance and quality very seriously and immediately conducted its own investigation and report into the sale of the product.

“While it concluded that the safety of the user was not compromised, it did confirm that the product did not conform to EN397 or Jewson’s high standards.

“Jewson deeply regrets this breach and has already taken measures to ensure that such failings cannot reoccur.”

Leading safety manufacturer JSP offers an online service checking the authenticity of hard hats.

To access the service click here