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HEALTH SECTOR NEWS Trial shows UV sanitisers can ‘remove COVID-19’


A ‘low-cost and effective’ solution to remove COVID-19 from the air using UV sanitisers will soon be used in hospitals, after a team led by engineers from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers developed a standard to regulate the devices for use in the NHS. The ultraviolet sanitisers, which could


potentially also be used in schools, colleges, and other public buildings, have been shown in a hospital trial to be ‘a low- cost, effective way’ to remove COVID-19 from the air. The team behind the work says the new standard will enable NHS Trusts to buy sanitisers ‘confident they are fit for purpose’. A trial at a Cambridge hospital showed that when ultraviolet sanitisers were installed in two wards, they ‘deactivated’ the COVID-19 virus present in the air. The standard was developed by specialist engineers led by NHS Chief Engineer, Mike Ralph, a Fellow of both the IMechE and of IHEEM. The team included members of the Institution’s Pandemic Infections Control Solutions group. Frank Mills FIMechE, a founder member, said:


engineering skills can make a difference to all our lives.” The team adds that ‘UV cleansers are


“The development of this standard will have a huge impact, given the major drive to improve air quality in healthcare facilities to combat COVID-19. Engineers have been at the forefront to ensure the NHS has the guidance it needs to ensure that the sanitisers it buys are fit for purpose and effective in tackling the virus.” Dr Alice Bunn, the IMechE’s Chief


Executive (pictured), said: “Our mission is to improve the world through engineering, and this is a fantastic example of how


Nymi and G+D ‘simplify critical access’ to secure workplaces


Global security technology group, Giesecke+Devrient (G+D), and connected worker technology specialist, Nymi, have developed a biometric system on a wristband that they say provides organisations and their employees with ‘convenient and secure access to their entire workplace’. The two businesses say that this ‘human-centric approach’ allows people to go ‘passwordless’, ‘contactless’, and hands-free at work. The new ‘enterprise access paradigm’ is reportedly ‘secure and simple to use’ by following a Privacy by Design and Zero Trust security framework. Employees wear their Nymi Band – a wristband activated by fingerprint and heartbeat – to authenticate to the Nymi Connected Worker Platform. G+D said: “Unlike conventional systems, the fingerprint is not compared to a centrally stored image for authentication, but to an abstract mathematical template stored directly in the band’s internal chip. Employees have control over their own biometric data at all times, in contrast to systems with centralised fingerprints, face, or iris recognition, that use reference images.”


Interoperability with the company’s


a lower-cost and more flexible solution than HEPA filters traditionally used in healthcare’, and can be quickly and easily installed as ‘mobile’ units, and plugged into a nearby socket. The standard was signed off on 20 December, 2021, and will be issued as the standard for all NHS Trusts to use in procuring UV air cleaners. It also provides guidance for using them to reduce COVID-19 infections and other airborne pathogens. Effective ventilation is also key in schools to ensure teaching is undertaken in a productive environment. Members of IMechE are involved in a trial at St. Teresa’s School in Morden, Surrey where they have installed one UV unit into every classroom. The project is supported by an award sponsored by UKRI to investigate the use of air cleaners to mitigate COVID-19 transmission in offices, healthcare, and schools. For more information on the hospital trial, see: https://tinyurl.com/49v4pfsd


‘100 per cent electrical utility vehicle’ launched


The Goupil G6, a ‘100% electrical utility vehicle’, is now available in the UK from Bradshaw Electric Vehicles. The Goupil G6


infrastructure is ensured on the Nymi Connected Worker Platform via components from G+D. The Personal Identity Verification (PIV) applet developed by G+D provides a Secure Element (SE) as the fundamental component. For example, adding a Legic applet enables contactless access to authorised devices, networks, and other resources. Through the Nymi Connected Worker Platform, employees are securely and instantly connected to their entire workplace, across digital and physical environments and networks – ‘all without the need for passwords that are neither always secure nor convenient’. Nymi CEO, Chris Sullivan, said: “We experience the vulnerabilities of organisations built on password-enabled perimeters every day, in both the public and private sectors. That’s why the collective shift to passwordless systems is inevitable.”


offers a payload up to 1,200 kg, and a loading capacity of up to 9 m3


. Offering a smooth


ride, it can reach 50 mph, with a range of up to 94 miles according to the WLTP cycle. With its 6.6 kW charger, the 30 kW battery can be fully charged in five hours using an electric charging station, while the cab and driving position offer a high level of driver and passenger comfort. Comprehensive standard equipment includes a three-seater cab, electric windows, heated wing mirrors, regenerative braking, and light and rain sensors. An LCD HD colour display allows real-time monitoring of electrical consumption, and gives access to the vehicle’s key features. The G6 is available with different


body configurations: pick-up, cage tipper, 9 m3


box van, bulky waste


collector, and hydraulic hook lift, plus pressure-washer and leaf-collector options.


February 2022 Health Estate Journal 11


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