CEO's desk - April 23

GOOD WELL-designed PPE and Safety Equipment can have a very positive effect on wearers physical safety and even their mental wellbeing, knowing products are user friendly, comfortable to wear and will protect them from risk. 

Over time we have seen it all, the good, the bad and the ugliness that can result from products not fit for purpose. So, the BSIF Innovation Awards are a timely reminder of the genius and dedication that is often applied in presenting equipment that helps to keep wearers and users safe today and fit and healthy into the future.

The BSIF Innovation Awards have been running for nearly 3 decades and this year we decided that entries would be split into two categories PPE and (non PPE) Safety Products. We took this step as it was becoming increasingly difficult for the panels of independent judges to evaluate the relative merits of products so diverse in their potential applications.

Product Innovation PPE:

It gives me genuine pleasure to tell you that from a huge entry this years’ finalists are

3M: Presenting their innovative DBI-Sala Exofit XE Harness Series. A pioneering designed system to effect safe, comfortable and efficient working at height.

Ansell: Showing their Inteliforz Motion “Glove”. Living up to their reputation in global safety solutions, Ansell’s “Inteliforz” a tool and a system combining creation, collection and analysis of data on potential harms from repetitive hand movement. 

BLS: Illustrating their progressive Active Shield product an attachment for aiding comfort and wearability in filtering face piece respiratory protection.

Cromwell: From the “Halo” range the Metatarsal Safety Trainer was presented to the judges as a ground-breaking achievement incorporating metatarsal protection in safety trainers, the fastest growing category of the footwear sector.

Dupont: With great pride DuPont demonstrated the Tychem Thermopro garments which for the first time provide triple hazard protection from liquid-chemical splash, flash fire and electric arc in a single layer.

Haix: The renowned footwear brand brought forward the Connexis Safety Footwear range, incorporating the world's first safety footwear with fascia stimulation.

Keypoint: MaxiDex from ATG with Virosan illustrating innovative hand protection, job-fit with the added benefits of the Virosan active antiviral treatment.

Moldex: A respected name in hearing and respiratory protection presented the Adapt Safety Glasses a fresh an different approach to mask-fitting when safety eyewear is also required.

Polyco-Healthline: Proudly presented their new glove “The Bear” from the Armour Guard range illustrating the benefits of waterproof hand protection in hazardous mechanical manual handling.

Rezon: With missionary zeal the Halos Headband presentation illustrated an answer to the challenge of rotational brain injury and its devastating long term consequences 

As you can see from the above the “finalist” range of PPE came from a wide range of manufacturers covering an array of risks. The devotion and commitment that has gone into these products makes you proud to be associated with an industry dedicated to keeping people safe and healthy.

Non PPE: As I said earlier this year for the first time we split Product Innovation into PPE and Non PPE entries and the Non PPE section threw up some fantastic entries, which once again demonstrated considerable human genius with, safety and health as the real prize.

The Finalists:

Alert Technology: The Alert Pro Connected showed the first real time system for detecting asbestos fibres, crucially able to illustrate short duration “peaks” and create effective safety alerts in response.

Casella: The Vortex 3 sampling pump demonstrated the art of engineering and effective design to produce an advanced multi-point system.

FEIN: Protago high-safety angle grinder. With angle grinders at the centre of many accidents the FEIN Protago demonstrated that careful design and engineering features can eradicate misuse that often leads to accidents.

Protex: It had to be there! The Protex AI illuminated the benefits of AI in safety. Working within site CCTV the Protex system uses AI to model and capture near misses and unsafe behaviours before harm occurs. 

Tended: As with AI Tended illustrated the art of the possible, harnessing satellite based technology to produce the Life Saving Geofencing system to boundary safe and unsafe areas of work especially in the rail industry.

As I said earlier it is fantastic to see such a wide range of products designed to deliver safety where it is needed. I would like to thank all the original entrants and those listed above, the finalists.

In closing I would also like to thank the judges, all respected individuals from the world of safety and all independent of BSIF. The judging of the Product Innovation categories is based upon the entrants submission and consequent product presentation and questioning. Claims regarding the products are taken in good faith at the time of entry submission. BSIF does not endorse the claims made by any company or product that enters into the BSIF awards.

The winners will be announced, along with the winners of the BSIF Safety Excellence and Customer Service Awards during the Safety and Health Excellence Awards, which takes place on the 26 April at The Vox, NEC, Birmingham.

Alan Murray is chief executive of BSIF. For more information, visit www.bsif.co.uk