The standards for scrapping riot control equipment are centered on ensuring user safety. Once the equipment shows signs of performance degradation, structural damage, or reaches its service life, it must be immediately taken out of service and scrapped. The following are general scrapping standards based on national standards and industry practices:
General Scrapping Principles
According to GB 39800-2020 Specification for the Configuration of Personal Protective Equipment and AQ 6111-2023 Specification for Safety Management of Personal Protective Equipment, riot control equipment meeting any of the following conditions should be forcibly scrapped:
Exceeding the effective service life
Protective performance failing to meet national standards
Severe damage to appearance or structure
Failing to meet safety requirements after testing
Failure or malfunction of key components
Classification of Common Riot Control Equipment Scrapping Standards
Head Protection (Riot Helmets, Face Shields)
Cracks, deformation, perforations, or collapse of the buffer layer
Severe scratches on the face shield window affecting vision
Used for more than 3 years (plastic material) or 3.5 years (fiberglass material)
Failed impact resistance test
Body Protection (Bulletproof Vest, Stab-Proof Vest, Riot Shield): Cracks, punctures, water damage, or aging of the bulletproof/stab-proof layer; cracked seams, broken straps, or loose metal buckles; cracked shield surface, yellowed and blurred transparent window, deformed support structure. For high-frequency use, a professional performance test is recommended every 3 years; items failing to meet standards should be scrapped.
Police Equipment (Riot Guns, Batons, Tear Gas): Riot guns jamming after continuous firing, severe rifling wear; detached rubber tips on batons, bent and deformed metal rods; tear gas spray exceeding 3 years of validity, spray distance less than 70% of the original standard; high-intensity flashlights with seal failure, short circuits, or significantly reduced brightness.
Hand and Foot Protection (Cut-resistant Gloves, Riot Boots)
Gloves have holes, tears, or exposed cut-resistant layers.
Boots have severely worn soles, unglued uppers, or ineffective puncture-resistant layers.
Protective function is significantly reduced during use (e.g., loss of slip resistance).
Respiratory and Eye Protection (Gas Masks, Goggles)
Mask seals are aged, masks are cracked, or filters are saturated.
Goggles have dense scratches on the lenses, deformed frames that do not fit the face properly.
Usage period or cumulative exposure time exceeds the limit specified in the instruction manual.
