The live product pitches

"Tell me you’re great and I might agree, show me you’re great and I’ll be able to see." That was the principle behind the BSIF’s decision this year to change the way it judges the finalists in its annual Product Innovation Awards, which recognise and reward excellence and endeavour in the UK safety market.

Previously, the entries submitted by product manufacturers were discussed and evaluated behind closed doors, the judges having just the product itself and the entry submissions to go on. This year, the shortlisted finalists were invited to present their products in person, in front of the judging panel and a live audience at The Health and Safety Event, which took place at the NEC in Birmingham from 21 to 23 March.

Over the first two days, in a specially constructed exhibition floor theatre, the 12 finalists described and demonstrated the uniqueness in design, ease of use, innovative technology and potential benefits of their products. All were hoping to win over the judges, who, this year, were: John Cairns, past chair of Safety Groups UK; Karen Hoskins, MD of IBIS Solutions; Neal Stone, former policy and standards director of the British Safety Council; Rob Strange, former CEO of IOSH; and Henk Vanhoutte, secretary general of the European Safety Federation.

First to pitch to the judges was Combilift, based in Monaghan, in the Republic of Ireland. The company says it had the safety and convenience of the operator in mind when it designed the Combi CS counterbalanced stacker. Featuring the company’s patented tiller-arm function the Combi CS is equally easy to manoeuvre by the operator from the back or the side. Presenting the compact stacker to the judges, MD Martin McVicar explained: “The tiller is not physically locked to the rear wheel, so the operator, using the fingertip controls, can work it from the right or left side, as well as the back. This makes it very useful for work areas with narrow aisles but, more importantly, it means it’s safer for the operator, as they are out of the crush zone. Also, unlike a sit-on unit, the operator has better visibility. They can see the position of the forks better, to check that they are handling safely, and are generally more conscious of what is going on around them.”

Gavin Boorman from Blackline Safety was next to take to the stage with the company's G7 safety device. The safety of lone workers is a major concern for many employers, especially in the high-hazard industries. Consequently, there are myriad devices available that monitor their whereabouts and raise the alarm in the event of a problem. However, Gavin noted that the sophistication and reliability of the technology they use varies significantly – many focus on recovery rather than rescue, and connectivity is often limited. Not so, he added, with the Canadian manufacturer’s G7 connected safety device: “The G7 is the first out-of-the-box 3G wireless personal safety monitor to work anywhere in the world. Incidents are transmitted within two to three seconds over our server and are responded to immediately.” To demonstrate this, Boorman caused the device to send an alert to the Canadian monitoring centre, which duly responded straight away. He went on: “The G7 is highly configurable and is Cloud-based, so there’s no software to install. It allows two-way messaging and mass notification to individuals or a group.” The mobile phone-sized device incorporates a gas detection facility and can monitor up to four gases. It is also ATEX-certified and IP65-rated, making it suitable for use in high-hazard industries. Boorman added: “The G7 uses assisted GPS for outdoor location and location beacons for indoor areas, and it can incorporate site and multi-floor plans – it’s better than Google Maps!”

Centurion Safety Products' Nexus range of safety helmets was the last pitch of the morning session. Appealing to our fascination today with smart devices, Centurion CEO Jeff Ward used a number of props to highlight the differences between his company’s Nexus range of safety helmets and more ‘ordinary’ models. Holding up a phone, a laptop and a tablet, he said: “An EN397-compliant helmet is like a phone – everybody has one. A laptop is a step up – so, say, the same helmet but with shock-absorbing foam and chinstraps. But the new Centurion Nexus is the iPad of helmets. It has all the same features but is cooler in design and it complies not just with EN397 but with the work-at-height standard, EN12492, as well.” He went on to demonstrate that the helmet’s liner and chinstraps can be removed in seconds, using a screwdriver, or a pen. He explained: “Workers don’t always need the high-spec helmet if they are not working at height. Chinstraps can wear out quickly, but on the Nexus they can be easily replaced without having to buy a whole new helmet. The foam used in the liner is like that used in medical and surgical applications and it dries really quickly.” Other features on the Nexus range include rear-facing ventilation slots, which, according to Ward, help avoid the risk of arc, making them ideal for live working. There are also slots for ear and eye protection and cold-weather hoods. Ward concluded: “They can be specified for the whole workforce – people will use them differently depending on the job they are doing.”

The second session commenced with Ballyclare's Flamacryl Flamstop range of protective clothing. The very many hazards involved in working on the railways means the clothing worn by workers has to be highly protective. But according to Roger Foster, of Stockport-based protective-clothing manufacturer Ballyclare, there were few options that ticked all boxes and met all industrial standards. Consequently, the company developed a solution in partnership with Network Rail and Concordia: the Flamacryl Flamstop range. Foster explained: “Made of polyester, the garments comprise three layers – the only ones on the market to do so. There is an outerwear jacket, overtrouser and salopette, and all meet the relevant industry standards. This ergonomic, lightweight, multifunctional range is the first stock-supported multi-norm-certified solution for the protection of workers in the rail industry.”

If you work in the nuclear, chemical, pharmaceutical, or, indeed, any industry in which solid particles, or even nano-particles, pose a threat, then the next product to be pitched – the Hapichem protective suit – is a must. Samuel Ozil, business development manager, Nuclear, Biological and Pharmaceutical Protection at Honeywell Industrial Safety explained: “Workers normally need to wear different items to achieve respiratory, body, antistatic and chemical protection. Hapichem offers this combined protection in a single suit. It is made from a chemical-resistant material – CHEM – and offers a reliable barrier against high-potency pharmaceutical ingredients – HAPI. It is ATEX-certified to meet European Union requirements for use of protective clothing in explosive atmospheres. The seams and helmet are also resistant to chemicals, and the suit operates at low air pressure. Its patented exhaust valve makes the suit compatible with decontamination showers and avoids the risk of valve clogging.”

The final pitch of the day was Ansell's Microflex 93-260 disposable glove. Disposable gloves are not generally known for their chemical-resistant properties but the protection offered by Ansell’s Microflex 93-260 is designed not to be throwaway. The company’s Jennifer Sing described what Ansell calls 'the thinnest chemical-resistant disposable glove on the market today': “It has a patent-pending, three-layer design, consisting of a nitrile outer covering, which protects from solvents, a middle neoprene layer, for guarding against acids and bases, and an inner, easy-donning and doffing layer. Tested against EN374 breakthrough times, it resists chemicals between four and 20 times better than a standard disposable.” She concluded: “With the Microflex 93-260 you get all the benefits of wearing a disposable – dexterity and comfort – as well as excellent chemical protection.”

Day two began with Oxford-based JSP pitching the Visilite illumination system for its range of Evolution helmets as a way of increasing worker visibility without the ‘dazzling’ effect produced by other lighting and high-vis options. The company’s technical director, Matthew Judson, said it is ideal for those working on construction and transport sites, and especially for highway operatives. He explained: “Fatalities among those working on the roads are very common, and we wanted to do something about that. Our lighting system uses LEDs that clip to JSP’s industrial safety helmets. The USB-rechargeable device has three modes: static light, fast flash and slow flash. The LED is on the back and shines on a fibre-optic band around the helmet. The USB charger on the back also shines down the back of the wearer, illuminating any hi-vis they are wearing. This is very useful, bearing in mind that retro-reflective material will only work if a light – from a fast-approaching vehicle, for example – shines on it.” Judson showed a video to the judges and audience, which highlighted the effectiveness of the system as worn and used by night-time workers at Heathrow Airport. The light emitted is visible from 50 metres and the device is weather-proof. Said Judson: “It’s a simple idea – but aren’t they always the best?”

Next up was Brilliant Ideas' Hole Drilling System. Construction company manager by day and serial inventor by night, Chris Massey is passionate about finding ways to tackle the issues that cause so much injury and ill health in his industry. He told the judges: “As an employer, sending colleagues and mates out on site, whenever there is an incident or near-miss, I take it personally, so I look for ways to fix the problem.” Chris’ latest development is The Hole System – literally, a system for making holes, but safely. He explained: “Hollow-core beam installation is a common activity in building. Usually, how it’s done is the guys have to set up and climb a scaffold to mark and then drill the holes, moving along all the time to the next area to be drilled. They’re drilling above head height, so there are dust issues, as well as HAVS and noise. Then, there is the water released from the cement mix used to fill the holes, which can give rise to dermatitis.” In response, Chris designed a system for marking, drilling, filling and rawl-plugging at ceiling soffit level that avoids these issues. He continued: “It’s a simple, lightweight aluminium pole operated by a foot pump, with a trigger-activated drill at the top and a vacuum cup on the drill to extract the dust – wet or dry – at source. So, the whole process can be done from the floor. It eliminates work-at-height issues, reduces exposure to dust, HAVS and repetitive strain.”

The morning session concluded with a demonstration of Luno Systems' Hornet helmet. Breathing-air helmets are not new but ones that offer integrated respiratory and head protection to a high level certainly are. So claimed Luno Systems’ Nick Aris, who presented the company’s Hornet helmet – a monocoque shell design with three independent air supplies. He said: “The Hornet is lightweight and comfortable to wear, and features a soft TPU elastomer face seal for tight fitting and a D30® pad on top to withstand high impact. It conforms to EN397 for impact resistance and to EN14593.1, 402 and 136 for airline breathing apparatus.” Aris went on to highlight a common problem with working in high-hazard situations, whereby wearers – because of the conflict for space on the head between various items of PPE – often leave their helmet off in favour of RPE. “The Hornet overcomes these compatibility issues,” he concluded.

The final session saw Uvex present its Pheos visor system to the judges. Increasing the likelihood of kit being worn was the motivation behind the development of Pheos – described by Adrian Eccles, of manufacturer Uvex, as “a one-click visor attachment system that is easy to use and so more likely to be worn.” The company worked with a German university to develop the visor, which fits tightly to the head but is easy to push up, or park, on the head when it is not needed. “But when it is needed,” said Eccles, “it’s always there. There is no strain on the head or neck when it’s parked because it’s lightweight but still offers a high level of protection.” He explained that standard systems of fitting visors on helmets are generally “very fiddly” but not so the Pheos one-click system. He went on: “Ear muffs can be easily attached, and some versions of the visor have a see-through chin-guard. The visor also incorporates both anti-fogging and anti-scratch technology.”

Spanset's DSL2 lanyard was the penultimate product to be demonstrated to the judging panel. In the event of a fall from height the load of a person wearing a full body harness and lanyard will be supported by the latter, a point which led Spanset to focus on developing a lanyard that is easy to use and effective in deployment. The company’s Peter Ward explained: “With a 2m lanyard, the full length is not always required, but most people still choose lanyards of this length. If, in the event of a fall, the lanyard is longer than you need, then you’ll fall further than necessary. We wanted to develop a lanyard that is full length when needed but otherwise is as short as possible. The DSL2 only pays out what you need at any point. It is retractable, so it reduces fall distances and trip hazards. Because it is as short as possible to start with, if you fall you don’t accelerate as much, so the arrest distance is shorter. Tested to both EN355 and EN360 the DSL2 performed 50 per cent better than the test requirements.”

The final product to be pitched was DorsaVi's My ViSafe. Another company that recognises people’s obsession with smart devices, DorsaVi really tapped into the ‘app happy’ culture with its My ViSafe app for the management of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The company’s Zoe Whyatt explained the thinking behind the approach: “Our focus is on digitising the world of health and safety, and MSDs were one area that certainly needed tackling. The incidence rate, according to ill-health and injury statistics, has been broadly flat for the last five years, so we wondered: is it because we are managing MSDs based on lagging indicators? We figured, if we could manage them based on what is happening today, we could make a bigger difference.” Enter MyViSafe – wearable tech linked to an app to manage manual handling activities. Said Whyatt: “The worker wears a number of small, discreet sensors to gauge what it is about their job that gives rise to a risk of injury. Real-time data, or ‘bio-feedback’, is received about specific tasks, allowing the employer to monitor what is happening. But essentially, it’s a self-managed solution: an alert is issued to the worker if a movement they make has a high risk of injury, enabling them to take action. Also, regular tasks can be assessed to determine changes that could be made to make it safer.” Another key feature – with which the judges were particularly taken – was the embedded ‘best practice videos’, which employees can watch to learn how to do a particular task better. Whyatt summed up: “My ViSafe is essentially technology embedded in manual-handling training to allow task-specific risk assessment.” It was clear from the reactions of the judges to the presentation that they were convinced of the effectiveness, innovation and ease of use of this product, as well as its potential to make a real difference to MSD management. A clear winner of the BSIF Product Innovation Award for 2017.

Following the pitches, BSIF CEO Alan Murray, said: “Delivering a first-class health and safety product or service is something that all of these organisations have in common, and we are delighted to be able to recognise this work. I would like to congratulate all of the finalists, as their individual contribution is truly making a difference to the industry, ensuring we continue to innovate, improve safety for the end user and provide exceptional service levels to the UK market.”