News

With the government announcement on 10th May of its ‘road map out of lockdown’, in England at least, if you work in manufacturing, engineering or construction, or can’t do your job from home, you’ll now be able to return to work providing you can maintain social distancing. This is the first step in a phased process with 100% ‘normality’ still some months down the line.

The types of workplaces now permitted to re-open are sites where health and safety and environmental monitoring are key considerations. As well as arrangements for PPE, hand sanitisation, social distancing and effective cleaning regimes, a large number of sites will have environmental monitoring needs, many of which may be uniquely linked to the lockdown circumstances. 

Hi-line Industries, the UK’s leading designer, manufacturer and installer of air/gas dryers and nitrogen generators, is lending its support to the NHS in combating the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The company’s fabrication department have been working round the clock to build and despatch medical gas dryers for a number of new NHS Nightingale and existing hospitals, supplying equipment against stringent deadlines. As key workers in the crisis, their service department is remaining open to support the NHS and customers in essential industries such as medical, healthcare and food manufacturing.

Ideal for OSHA safety compliance and engine efficiency testing for forklifts and other equipment

Bacharach, an industry expert in gas detection and analysis instrumentation, introduces the Monoxor XR (extended range) hand-held exhaust gas analyzer for measuring CO (carbon monoxide) in ambient air or directly from the exhaust pipe of forklifts, floor burnishers or other equipment burning propane, gasoline, diesel, or CNG (compressed natural gas). 

i.safe MOBILE, a developer of mobile communication devices in the hazardous zone 1/21, has announced the IS930.1. The IS930.1 combines the indestructible robustness of an IP-certified tablet with ATEX and IECEx approvals for safe use in hazardous environments.

It can be used in the oil, petrochemical, pharmaceutical and food industries as well as in mining, public utilities, municipalities and energy suppliers, among others. The IS930.1 comes with an 8” large, capacitive and low-reflection screen made of RugDisplay glass with a maximum resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels, which is easy to read even in direct sunlight.

Enerpac announces a complete suite of ATEX-Certified Tools for engineers working in potentially explosive atmospheres. Suitable for zones 1 and 2 gaseous atmospheres and zones 21 and 22 dust atmospheres, the range includes hydraulic torque wrenches, air pumps, flange spreading tools, hydraulic sealed hand pumps and hoses.

Compliant with EN ISO 80079:2019 parts 36 and 37, the Enerpac certified tools are one of the largest ranges of ATEX-Certified Tools available today. By providing both tools and ATEX-Certified hydraulic hoses, Enerpac enables a safer approach to projects in potentially explosive atmospheres.

Abtech have launched a high current enclosure that can carry up to 3kA and certified for use in areas in areas where potentially explosive gasses or dust are present.

The SX Busbar is the latest addition to Abtech range of enclosures for high current applications. Gareth Bruce, Marketing Manager for explains the concept behind the design “Our customers have been asking us for an enclosure that could accommodate a both wide variety of cable configurations and to allow the cable layout to be reconfigured if needed. Cable used for high current is often inflexible with restricted bending radii, so the design has to provide flexibility without bending the cables.” He continues “as such we developed the SX with a series of tiered busbars that allow unrestricted access and flexibility for installation”.

Cortem Group expands the cable glands family and presents the new barrier version for armoured cables NEVB series and for non-armoured cables NAVB series.

NAVB and NEVB series barrier cable glands are suitable for use in hazardous areas with danger of explosion to enable direct insertion of armoured and non-armoured cables into explosion-proof junction boxes, lighting fixtures, plugs and sockets, etc. Thanks to their structure, they are particularly suitable both in harsh application, such as marine one, and places subjected to stress and mechanical shock as it often happens in all those places of the “heavy” industry where safety is a top priority. 

SOCOTEC, the UK’s leading provider of testing, inspection and compliance services, has introduced a new environmental swabbing procedure to determine the presence of SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus) on surfaces across a range of workplace environments.

The new method has been adopted in light of preliminary research which indicates that the COVID-19 virus has prolonged tenacity on surfaces, with contact via contaminated surfaces suggested as a possible cause of infection. 

Working through Vanderlande, the market’s largest original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and supplier of logistic process automation for airports, Hart Doors has won a contract to supply 60 high-speed screens for a new baggage handling system at Manchester International airport.

Hart’s managing director, Nick Hart, says by working with the airport and Vanderlande they were able to agree the detailed specification required. “We built test / prototype units and had more meetings at our factory after which the contract was agreed,” says Nick. 

NexSys^® ATEX batteries, available from EnerSys^®, allow materials handling vehicles to work safely in hazardous areas where there is an explosion risk. They conform to ATEX standards, which are compulsory and a legal requirement in Europe and NexSys^® batteries are also available world-wide certified in compliance with IECx standards.