3M has launched its new 3M Verify app to help companies ensure their PPE is authentic.
The global company launched the platform at the end of 2022, but the app gives greater accessibility.
The launch continues 3M's efforts against PPE counterfeiting that arose from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The app helps validate a disposable respirator carton in real-time by using advanced technology to identify a bar code and determine if a product package is genuine.
If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is
A genuine result provides a high degree of certainty that you have an authentic 3M Disposable Respirator.
An inconclusive result means that the package is either not recognised or a potential counterfeit. In the event of an inconclusive result, the app will help the operator contact 3M directly for further investigation.
"Counterfeit products can pose serious risks to workers as they may not be tested or approved in the same way as authentic 3M products," the company stated. "Instead they are made by fraudsters using unknown processes and materials without quality control."
The app is currently available for the following products:
- 3M Health Care Particulate Respirators and Surgical Masks, 1860 & 1860S, N95
- 3M Particulate Respirator 8210, N95 -- excluding the consumer packout version of this product
- 3M Aura™ Particulate Respirator 9330+, FFP3
- 3M Aura™ Particulate Respirator 9332+, FFP3
You can download the 3M Verify app in Apple's App Store. The app will be available on Google Play at a later date.
"If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is," said Cassie Jacobson, director, 3M Personal Safety Division. "The 3M Verify app will enable customers to be confident their disposable respirators are genuine and working to keep them safe and protected."