Business News
Confused about instant drug tests?
D
r Dan Hegarty, a director of work health services company Express Medicals, says that he and his colleagues have become increasingly aware of the ‘significant uncertainties and confusion’ around the use of ‘instant’ drug testing kits (also referred to as point-of-collection or point-of-care tests/ PoCT’s) in the workplace.
Said Dr Hegarty: ‘There is the obvious
attraction of very rapid results and the perception that costs are much less if PoCT’s are favoured in place of more traditional laboratory-based testing. However, there is also widespread doubt and confusion as to whether they are ‘allowed’ to be used and, if so, when is it appropriate to do so? Should PoCt’s be used alone? Should they sometimes be backed up with formal laboratory tests? Should they always be backed up by such laboratory tests? How reliable are the results? Are PoCT’s as reliable as laboratory tests? If not, then how less reliable are they? What are the legal and/or employment issues to be considered? What are the quality controls and standards to be looked out for? Are PoCT’s tests or screens? What is the difference between a test and a screen?’ The answers to so many questions are
often far from straightforward. To that end, Express Medicals provided an educational grant to a group of expert academics who undertook a systematic review of the current situation with respect to PoCT’s in the workplace. This resulted in a report in January 2013 - Review of Point-of-Care/ Collection Testing Devices for the Detection of Drugs of Abuse. Following on from the report, the company sponsored a conference on PoCT’s, held at Imperial College, London. Two of the report’s authors, one of them a senior academic at Imperial College, spoke at the conference.
The concerns about PoCT’s are outlined
in the conclusions of the report and the slide presentations of both Dr Simon Davis (an expert in mass spectrometry
and analytical techniques) and Dr Peter Feldschreiber (a medically qualified barrister). The information presented will be of definite interest to all involved in workplace drug testing and drug screening programmes, especially where safety critical workers are being tested/screened. Visit
www.expressmedicals.co.uk
Alstom selects Zonegreen for hi-tech Italian depot
S
oftware developed by Sheffield- based Zonegreen is keeping operations in Italy’s most advanced rail depot running smoothly. Alstom has installed the company’s Operator Planning Suite (OPS) (see Railpro February 2013), to oversee daily functions at the maintenance centre near Nola. The web-based planning application,
which replaces traditional whiteboards, in being used to manage the maintenance of high speed trains on the Turin-Salerno and Rome-Venice lines. Francesco Fidanza, Alstom’s fleet
operations manager at Nola, said: ‘It is important for us to share and disseminate data to different locations and the system allows users with various levels of access to log in from anywhere.’
The €90 million depot is dedicated the the .italo AGV fleet - the first high speed trains of their kind in the world. The 140,000m2 facility has 12,000 metres of track and employs 200 people. Visit
www.zonegreen.co.uk
SSL wins Queen’s Award for innovation
S
imulation Systems (SSL) is celebrating winning a Queen’s Award for Enterprise. Awarded by the Her Majesty on the advice of Prime Minister David Cameron, the Queen’s Award for Enterprise is the UK’s most prestigious prize for business performance. SSL won in the category of Innovation, for its range of real-time systems equipment.
SSL’s flagship products include its
enterprise CCTV control system which was developed specifically for Transport for London, as well as its BlueTruth passenger tracking/security systems.
Commenting on the award, owner and
MD, Louis Thompson said: ‘To be given this award is a great honour, and something we are all very proud of. For more than thirty years we have been developing and manufacturing leading-edge bespoke high reliability software and electronics systems from our premises in Yatton, North Somerset, that are now widely used thoughout the UK.’ Visit
www.simulation-systems.co.uk
An Advance in train cleaning
G rinse aids. The company’s Advance detergent uses
a state-of-the-art rinse chemistry that leaves all areas of the train clean, bright and soil free, and can also be used for cleaning depot floors and workshops. Using the latest cleaning technology,
Advance is a non-hazardous, fully biodegradable, rinse free system. It is non- corrosive to metals used in the rail industry, and its in-built technology repels water, leaving all areas clean and shiny. The product has been tested to
recognised rail industry standards and performs to approved criteria for all health and safety, performance, substrate damage and environmental issues. Whether used diluted or neat, its pH complies with Network Rail standards and doesn’t breach consent to discharge limits.
Advance forms part of Garrandale’s innovative chemical solutions family, a series of coating solutions designed for a diverse range of industrial applications. Visit
www.garrandale.co.uk
Network Rail order for Bender
N
R has specified Bender UK to deliver intelligent monitoring of signalling power supplies in a contract worth £2.7 million. This is the largest single order the company has won and involves the supply of more than 400 integrated protection systems to monitor and protect railway
arrandale has introduced Advance Train Wash, a new cleaning system that doesn’t use volatile solvents or separate
electrical systems and equipment. The Rail Signalling (RS3) integrated insulation monitoring and earth fault location equipment has been developed by Bender for relay rooms and line-side location on rail networks.
It is based on technology previously
supplied to NR, but the new improved product has enhanced reliability and is simpler to install and commission. It also incorporates GSM-enabled data loggers equipped for real-time direct communication with the rail system’s intelligent infrastructure, for immediate notification of insulation faults which are identified by the system. Visit
www.bender-uk.com
June 2013 Page 123
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