News

Radnor Hills Mineral Water has chosen Hart Door Systems to supply a further high-speed door for its Radnor-based mineral water plant.

Brian Woodcock, Hart’s regional sales manager says, “the order continues an excellent working relationship with the company.”

“We have installed several Speedor Minis, so it is good to follow these up with our Speedor Storm variant, designed specifically as an external high-speed door for frequent use in high traffic situations, particularly in exposed areas where exceptional wind resistance is required.”

Mr Woodcock adds: “We had a five-star review from the client for our door quality and speed of installation which underscores the Hart ethos. The continuing performance of Hart’s existing doors on site is a great help I am sure but also our bidding process and the excellence of our engineers on site were pivotal.”

www.hartdoors.com

Glasgow’s COP26 conference did much to remind us of the issue of Climate Change. However well-intentioned the debate over two weeks by the global audience was followed by a real, live, reminder that the Earth is very much on the edge with dramatic storms, flooding, forest fires, continuing rising sea levels and melting ice caps. Will it be more of the same at COP27 to be held later this year at Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt or will the Earth’s rising temperatures finally show signs of moderation asks, freelance journalist Chris Dobson.

Research shows that nearly 40% of carbon emissions coming from the construction of property and about a further 30% coming from the actual use of the building, that is heating, lighting, air-conditioning and so on.

As buildings such as manufacturing facilities and warehousing are essential to any country’s economy what can be done to reduce carbon emissions from property? Building energy efficient properties is the obvious step but how can this be achieved?

 A new flameproof cable gland range from Pratley  allows for soft-bedding cables like PVC and the like, which are prone to creep, to be fitted to flameproof equipment without any concern regarding cable damage or poor long-term sealing.

The Pratley Taper-Tech® flameproof gland range consists of four separate glands in two unique categories. First is the Pratley Taper-Tech® gland for armoured and braided cable. This is a ‘double compression’ gland, meaning it has both an inner and an outer seal. The second is the Pratley Taper-Tech® single-seal flameproof gland, also for armoured and braided cable, but with a durable rubber shroud.

The range also includes two ‘double compression’ glands for unarmoured cable, one being a hose-tail version that features a spigot on the compression nut. This is intended to be fitted with flexible hosing, for example, where cables are fitted to mining machines, for protecting the cable outer sheath.

DUBAI, January 21, 2022 – MSA Safety (NYSE: MSA), the global leader in the development, manufacture and supply of sophisticated safety solutions that help protect people and facility infrastructures,  will exhibit at the iktva 2022 Forum and Exhibition in the Dhahran Expo Center in Dammam, Saudi Arabia from January 24 to the 26.

Conference attendees will experience MSA’s state-of-the-art solutions of fixed gas and flame detection technology, including: 

• The S5000 Gas Monitor – now assembled locally in Saudi Arabia, versatile and ideal for extreme environments, where workers need to detect combustible and toxic gases or monitor oxygen levels;

• Enhanced Laser Diode Spectroscopy (ELDS) – Laser based Open Path Gas Detector solutions to monitor combustible and toxic gases by making use of the latest optical laser-based detection technology;
• The IR5500 Detector – IR based Open Path Gas Detector that continuously monitors for flammable gas leaks over large open areas;
• Ultrasonic Gas Leak Detectors (UGLD) – the fastest responding sensor technology for high pressure gas leaks and are the perfect solution to increase the probability of detecting gas leaks; and
• The FL4000H & FL500 – Flame Detectors detect fires over a large area and the flame recognition software improves the false alarm immunity, which avoids unwanted shutdowns.

Visit booth E126 to learn how MSA’s solutions can help you better protect your workers and the plant itself from dangerous substances.

www.MSAsafety.com.

HSE inspection campaign sheds light on health and safety issues in South Yorkshire

Twenty-two inspectors inspected 71 business in Sheffield and Rotherham.

65 per cent of business inspected were found to be in some form of breach of health and safety law.

Inspectors served three prohibition notices, 31 improvement notices and a further 23 companies were written to.

With its South Yorkshire inspection campaign drawing to its conclusion the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has found 65 per cent of business to be in some form of breach of the law.

Last week 22 inspectors from HSE’s Yorkshire and Northeast Field Operations teams inspected 71 businesses in the Sheffield and Rotherham area. Of those visited 46 companies needed to make improvements to better protect the health, safety and wellbeing of workers in metal fabrication, engineering, general manufacturing and waste and recycling sectors

During the course of the week inspectors served three prohibition notices and 31 improvement notices. Examples of some of the breaches found included poor controls of welding fumes and metal working fluids.

In addition to where notices have been served, HSE has formally written to a further 23 local businesses to compel them to improve various aspects of health and safety.

Andrew Denison, Acting Head of Operations said: “Protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of workers is of paramount importance and at the heart of what we do.

“The high proportion of breaches identified during this initiative indicates that the risks were not being adequately controlled.

“Inspectors have taken robust proportionate action to deal with serious risks and to ensure companies are complying with the law.

“I hope businesses will take note and understand that they will be held to account if they fail in their responsibilities.”

www.hse.gov.uk

Exports showed significant growth for Pratley in 2021, with new distributors appointed in Europe and the Middle East. “Companies that can offer quality, innovative products at good ex-store service levels will benefit from the fallout of the pandemic.” In this regard, Pratley has a policy of maintaining a 95% ex-store service level, which has contributed to its success in 2021.

“We experienced a fairly good uptick in adhesive sales towards the end of 2020 that was sustained going into 2021. With many staying at home and working from home due to the lockdowns, a greater degree of attention has been given to DIY projects and repairs,” notes Andrew. Pratley continues to see strong growth from the automotive repair market, especially in the informal sector. “We work hard to build loyalty in this market, which has been using our products for many years. Customers trust the brand and believe in the reliability of our products. This sector will be one of our main marketing focus areas in 2022.”

It was an eventful 2021 for the company, which also commissioned Africa’s most advanced perlite filter aid facility and launched Percolite® perlite filter aid for the food, beverage, and chemical industries. On the electrical side, it launched a new range of flameproof cable glands that make use of Pratley’s Taper-Tech® flame-seal technology. “We believe that these glands are game-changers in the market,” says Andrew.

Pratley also completed the construction and commissioning of a new technologically-advanced adhesives packaging facility. This follows a marked increase in domestic and export sales and gives room for future growth capacity. “We certainly see sustained growth for 2022, especially from our export markets,” notes Andrew.

In addition, Pratley’s electrical division has some innovative products in the pipeline that it expects to launch in the first half of this year. One, in particular, will be a world-first, reveals Andrew. “We are also looking at some exciting new adhesive and mineral products to be launched later in the year. We like to think of ourselves as a research and development company, and it certainly lies at the heart of what we do.”

Well-known as a leading adhesive producer, Pratley’s electrical division is also a global leader in electrical termination equipment, particularly cable glands, junction boxes and related accessories for hazardous locations. “In keeping with our policy, the types of products that we produce tend to be unique and highly innovative, with features and benefits that out-perform others on the market. We invest a lot in research and development in this area, and have our own highly advanced in-house electrical testing laboratory and personnel,” explains Andrew.

Commenting on the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Andrew acknowledges that 2021 proved to be a tough time for most businesses. “Indeed, the difficult challenges that South African businesses face on a daily basis, especially from a regulatory point of view does not help, either. However, challenging times have proved to also be times of rapid innovation and opportunity.

“In many cases, we have managed to dramatically streamline processes and improve product formulations or designs. We also have our incredible employees, who have contributed to our strong growth in adverse times. We are fortunate to be in a relatively strong position going into 2022, and we plan on being around for a long time to come,” concludes Andrew.

Since Belzona’s inception in 1952, the company has been committed to pioneering innovative protective coatings and repair composites that meet the maintenance demands found across numerous application areas in a variety of different industries.

Built on this extensive experience and knowledge, the company is delighted to expand its product offering with a new high-performance structural epoxy adhesive: Belzona 7311.

This cold bonding adhesive is specially optimised for structural bonding applications subject to cyclic and repeated load where high mechanical strength, cleavage, shear and fatigue resistance are required. Thanks to its combination of high-performance properties and ease of use, Belzona 7311 is a valuable asset for any engineer looking for bonding solutions.

For the chemists and students who are working hard to make scientific discoveries and improvements for the future, it’s vital that their labs and work areas are safe and free from potentially harmful VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Our UK distributor, Shawcity, is pleased to have supplied, ION Science’s leading handheld VOC gas detector, the Tiger, to help monitor air quality at the University of Nottingham School of Chemistry GSK Centre for Sustainable Chemistry.

Preventing exposure and ensuring VOC levels do not reach dangerous concentrations in these areas is essential for the safety of those working, and to ensure minimal interference with projects and experiments. There are also other factors to consider, such as shared communal spaces in buildings (like corridors or common rooms) potentially being impacted by high levels of VOCs. Depending on the volume and type of VOC, this could range from mildly annoying to more serious health affects long-term.

In a university, where buildings may have been converted or retrofitted to their current purpose, and therefore lack modern ventilation systems, having additional safeguards in place to monitor air quality and VOC concentrations is essential for safety. The University of Nottingham School of Chemistry had received some complaints about strong chemical smells in their labs, but the team also wanted to introduce some additional safety measures in the event of ventilation systems being down, accidents, leaks or other potential hazardous incidents.

STATEMENT FROM ARCO:

Arco is pleased to see that the High Court has ruled that the VIP fast-track lane for awarding PPE contracts to those with political connections was unlawful.  We have seen examples of PPE supply contracts being awarded opaquely to organisations with no history or experience of PPE manufacture and supply, who were ultimately unable to fulfil orders as they had imported inappropriate or non-compliant products, increasing the risk to the public, care home staff and NHS workers.

We recognise the fact that when the pandemic broke out, the Government was dealing with an unprecedented situation and an urgent need to scale up procurement in an extremely fast-moving environment, in which a finite supply of PPE had to be matched with an almost-infinite global demand with millions of lives at stake. In such a situation it was inevitable that mistakes would be made.

Arco, the UK’s leading health and safety company, has announced an exciting partnership with FLX Health, to become the exclusive UK reseller of the FLX app, a targeted physiotherapy app that works to prevent musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the workplace and rehabilitate employees more quickly when they arise.

MSDs are a leading cause of occupational ill health in Great Britain, accounting for 30% of all work-related ill health cases and 27% of lost working days. Affecting 14.9 million people nationally, MSDs cost the NHS over £5 billion per-year for treatment and support. As a growing issue that exists in many work environments, the FLX app empowers individuals to self-manage low grade pain and injuries through behavioural change and correcting biomechanical function, reducing the need for face-to-face and online physiotherapy appointments.  The FLX app will also help employers boost productivity, reduce sick days and keep their workforce healthy, happy and active

The FLX app works in two ways, accelerating the process of recovery, and preventing injury by detecting and correcting biomechanical issues. For example, during a three-month trial conducted with the South Yorkshire Police Force, MSDs were reduced by 64% and the rate of absenteeism due to MSDs was reduced from 43 to 18 days per month. This trial amongst 237 police workers, resulted in savings of £65,000 a year. When scaled across all staff within the Force, the calculated savings could reach £1.4m a year. In a similar trial with 480 workers at Dorset Fire and Rescue Service, days lost due to low level back pain reduced by 52%.