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Pseudalert method published as ISO worldwide standard
IDEXX Laboratories Inc, the rapid microbiological testing specialist for water, says its IDEXX Pseudalert method has been published as the International
Organization for Standardization (ISO) worldwide standard, 16266-2, for the 24-hour detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in water.
Listed under ISO 16266-2:2018, Water Quality – Detection and Enumeration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa – Part 2: Most Probable Number Method, the Pseudalert method detects P. aeruginosa in 24 hours, ‘less than half the time of other commercially available methods’. IDEXX added: “It also has high sensitivity and specificity, requires no confirmation steps, and can be more easily used with water samples that have high levels of background flora.” Paul Balaam, senior Estates Officer at
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which operates one of London’s largest and busiest teaching hospitals, added: “King’s College Hospital strives to maintain a bacteria-free environment, and part of ensuring a clean facility is regular testing for contaminants, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The IDEXX Pseudalert method’s acceptance as an ISO standard further validates that we are using the best solution on the market for our testing needs.”
The Pseudalert method is also included in country-specific standards in the UK, Germany, France, and Italy, and has been shown to be ‘as accurate as, or more accurate than, the traditional method’ in two independent studies published in peer-reviewed journals.
Perfect grounding for new cancer centre
Visqueen – part of RPC bpi recycled products – has provided a waterproofing and gas protection solution to the new Rutherford Cancer Centre North East in Northumberland, ensuring that it meets all local planning conditions.
Working with a contractor in Stockton, Visqueen selected its new Ultimate GeoSeal, together with waterstops and sealers, to offer ‘complete protection from the ingress of ground gases’, and act as a waterproof membrane. Due to the site conditions, the building had to be
piled with a suspended floor system. Visqueen says the GeoSeal membrane offered ‘the ideal solution’, as it is able to bond to the underside of the slab, thereby providing continued protection in the event of any ground settlement on the build.
Visqueen Ultimate GeoSeal is a pre- applied membrane designed to comply with current guidance on waterproofing, VOCs, and ground gases. Utilising Visqueen’s advanced barrier technology, the ‘best-in-class’ GeoSeal membranes comply with the requirements of both the BS8485:2015 and BS8102-2009 building standards.
For the Rutherford Cancer Centre North East, Visqueen’s design specialists produced bespoke CAD drawings to aid the complex detailing.
Dangers of using a courier service underlined unknown to many Trusts, and even the
Challis Ag+ Showers is warning NHS Trusts about ‘the alarming increase in transporting hospital waste using a standard courier service, rather than dedicated specialist vehicles’. It explained: “Some suppliers to healthcare facilities now offer a recycling service where products are collected from hospitals and returned to a distribution/ manufacturing base for sustainable recycling – a very commendable practice. However,
16 Health Estate Journal October 2018
courier services, these used hospital products are in some cases being transported in standard courier vehicles, alongside items like DVDs and books. This bypasses important hospital safety protocols, and presents a very real cross- contamination risk to the public. “Should such a contamination incident occur, the first port of call will be the Trust, which often unknowingly allowed hospital waste to be thus transported.
BES establishes southern HQ
BES, one of the UK’s leading specialists in the design, construction, and validation of high specification pharmaceutical, life sciences, and healthcare facilities, is to establish a southern headquarters in Milton Keynes. The Rochdale-based company has developed what it describes as ‘a world-class client list’ over the past 15 years, with customers including Smith and Nephew, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, GSK, and the NHS. With a ‘highly skilled team’ from disciplines including architecture, mechanical, and electrical engineering, BES says it has established ‘a sought-after formula for turnkey delivery of specialist environments’, which includes consultancy, design, engineering, construction, fit out, commissioning, and validation services. MD, Steve Marsh, explains: “The decision to open a southern office was integral to the future development of BES, which has enjoyed substantial growth since it was established in 2002. With its close proximity to the main bio sciences and healthcare organisations in Oxford, Cambridge, and London, Milton Keynes offers superb transport links, combined with fantastic amenities.”
Pictured, left to right, are Business Support manager, Vanessa Weaver; Engineering director, Jonathan Morton; Southern Regional director, Gavin Statham; Engineering director, Paul Marsh; MD, Steve Marsh, and Design director, Darren Lewis.
“Here, deferring responsibility to a third- party supplier with no risk assessment is not an option.
“To date – to our knowledge – no such no incident has yet been reported – more a result of luck than judgement. The practice is inherently dangerous, yet simply, quickly, and easily avoided by following the correct established protocols and using appropriate specialist vehicles, rather than standard courier services, for transporting such hospital waste.”
©BDP
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