News

With the death toll for the Coronavirus outbreak now topping 100, more than 4,500 cases reported in mainland China and the first case of human to human transmission reported in Germany this week, one Bristol company has presented the product – and the independent test certifications – to show that it can kill and help prevent the spread of the virus.

Independently tested by one of the UK’s most accredited testing facilities – BluTest Laboratories Ltd– DuoMax is a complete bleach and alcohol free cleaning product incorporating a blend of non-hazardous ingredients completely harmless to humans, plants, animals and surfaces and proven to destroy Coronavirus.

STEGO Heater CREx 020, Compact Thermostat REx 011: Air as a medium can be malicious to electrical and electronic appliances. Absorption and release of water in the air within control cabinets creates the potential for the formation of condensate. Condensate, in turn, carries out corrosion processes on sensitive components and can freeze at minus degrees. Thermal Man-agement specialist STEGO also offers the right answer for hazardous environments.

With the proven expertise as heating manufacturer for panels & enclosures, STEGO meets the requirements of the Ex industry. The Ex heater series CREx 020 safeguards heating of switchgear and control cabinets as well as measuring devices in explosive atmospheres of zone 1 (gas atmospheres) and zone 21 (dust atmospheres) ac-cording to Ex protection class Ex II 2 GD. The maintenance-free convection heaters are available in three tem-perature classes (T3/T200 °C, T4/T135 °C and T5/T100 °C) and reliably prevent the harmful formation of con-densate, temperature fluctuations and frost in explosive atmospheres. The CREx 020 series achieves dust and splash protection according to protection type IP66.

Employers should consider more than just slip resistant footwear when protecting employees from slips, trips and falls – this is the advice from a new joint initiative between the UK’s leading safety experts Arco, and leading slip management experts Bonasystems.

Recent research by Bonasystems reveals that three quarters of floor surfaces tested failed to achieve a safe standard of slip resistance. In some cases, a floor’s slip resistance was so poor, it would have an accident probability as high as 1 in 21 .

ProGARM, the UK’s leading specialist in Arc Flash protection, has announced the launch of a new sock range, designed to further enhance the safety of workers who work around high and low voltage electricity.

While those across the UK at risk of an Arc Flash are already encouraged to wear full protective PPE, many operatives are wearing everyday base layers and undergarments underneath their outerwear PPE, leaving them at risk of severe burns.

University of Birmingham Professor of Robotics, Rustam Stolkin, has been elected as Chair of a new international Expert Group on Robotic and Remote Systems (EGRSS) - part of the OECD’s global Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), which brings together the governments of 33 member nations.

Professor Stolkin was unanimously elected to chair the Expert Group on Robotic and Remote Systems (EGRRS) at a recent inaugural meeting, which brought together 40 experts from 14 OECD member countries as well as three international organisations including the European Commission.

BEKA associates have introduced two less expensive alternatives for flameproof Ex d loop powered indicators featuring large easy to read displays.
The new IECEx and ATEX certified Ex eb instruments can be installed in Zones 1 and 2 in exactly the same way as a conventional flameproof Ex d 4/20mA loop powered indicator. They do not have entity parameters and do not require a Zener barrier or galvanic isolator.

Since 1900, there have been very few years without a combustible dust fatality in the United States. In just six months between January and June of 2019, 13 people across the globe lost their lives and 66 more were injured in industrial fires and explosions involving combustible dust. In addition:

There were 149 incidents: 34 explosions and 115 fires The top three industries affected by combustible dust incidents were agriculture (32%), wood and wood products (22%) and automotive and metal working (9%).

Matt Ogden, Cable Gland Product Specialist at Hawke International, the leading manufacturer of glands for harsh and hazardous environments, discusses why it is essential for companies working in such settings to develop a proper cable gland strategy and the benefits one delivers.

Cable glands are too often thought of as being commodity products, their importance undervalued by those who dismiss them as merely being bits of brass and rubber. However, if decision-makers get their cable gland strategy wrong, the expensive equipment that glands are tasked with protecting - which can be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds – could fail. So, how do they get it right and what benefits will be delivered as result?

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”.

When Wilson Fan Pumps and Motors Group in Mitcham, South London required a large ATEX motor for a very important client who was facing a pending emergency, it placed a call through to TEC Electric Motors in Worcestershire and found the perfect solution.

Wilson Fan Pumps and Motors Group regularly works with one of the largest hospitals in London, supplying, fitting and maintaining electric equipment of all kinds. Due to the life-saving work that goes on there, Wilson’s always assigns a high importance to any contact with its engineers and estate staff and will go the extra mile when required.