Good safety is good business
March 1st 2005 Ian Clay attended a recent seminar held by DuPont Personal Protection where the company launched a range of innovative products due to be shown at the Safety & Health Expo 2005
We’ve all heard the expression ‘Good safety is good business’, and its ubiquity an example of how safety is being treated with increasing importance in our day to day working lives.
Mercifully, industry has moved away from the coal mine attitude of the past where injury and even potential fatality was treated as ‘just part of the job’. Paul Clow, of DuPont Personal Protection summed up the modern attitude when he said, during the seminar introduction “With good health and safety we can motivate the workforce to do their job a little bit better”.
DuPont Personal Protection looks to motivate those that use its products through constant innovation. This innovation is a result of its investment in R&D and this shone through during a presentation from Ian Samson on the introduction of the Tyvek Classic Plus protective suit. The new suit took two and a half years of development and was developed for a specific customer in October 2004 but is now available generally. The Tyvek Classic Plus (with socks) was introduced to solve a particular problem in the nuclear industry where operatives were using a heavy, non-breathable fabric that caused heat stress. Not only did this stress affect productivity but the initial purchase price was £50 and washing and laundering cost £12 each time. The Tyvek Classic Plus replacement weighs 80% less, is four times more protective and guards against fine dust to 0.2 of a micron. The protective suit costs £4 and is thrown away after one use – a factor which made the suit more economical to use and more protective than the existing garments.
Ian Samson went on to detail the impressive technical features of the Tyvek Classic Plus protective suit: integrated socks (to be worn inside safety footwear) plus ankle flaps that cover the shoes or boots – particularly effective when working with raised arms as it protects the ankle area; seams have initial stitching and are then overtaped; elastic thumb loops, attached to the sleeves – again useful for when working with raised arms as it prevents the sleeves from riding up. The elastic thumb is designed to be worn with the double gloving system, over the under glove and below the second glove.
Other areas of innovation that show how DPP has listened to customer demands include the addition of an XXXL sizing. As Ian Samson says “The whole marketplace is getting bigger and this new sizing is suitable for a 6ft 6in, 20 stone man.” Other features include: taped inside seams; self adhesive zipper core flap; elastic face opening, especially designed for respirator wearer; Tyvek zipper with self-locking zip; thick elastic cuffs and ankles with good elastic memory; glued in elastic in waist meaning no seam, improving an area of weakness.
Tychem C and Tychem F In addition to the Tyvek products Ian Samson also introduced some new updates to the standard Tychem C and Tychem F protective suits. The new suits also feature integrated socks, with ankle flaps and elastic thumb loops. With bio-certification now a byword in the market the Tychem C suits act as an effective barrier against numerous concentrated inorganic chemicals and liquids up to 2bar. Tychem F ensures protection from numerous highly concentrated organic and inorganic chemicals and from liquids up to 5bar. Both suits act as a barrier to biological hazards according to the requirements of EN 14126 (2003 defined biological protection standard).
Features of the Tychem C and F suits include: type 3,4,5 and 6 chemical protection from a wide range of chemicals and biological hazards; dissipative properties if properly grounded; a double self-adhesive flap opening; an elastic facial opening for a tight fit around the respirator; stitched and overtaped seams, elastic cuffs, ankles and waist.
Tychem C comes in yellow and Tychem F in grey and orange. Both come in six sizes SXXXL.
Other new products that were covered during the seminar included the NOMEX MetalPro yarn clothing that offers molten metal splash protection for those working in foundries or welding. Plus the KEVLAR Armor Technology glove, developed in conjunction with Ansell provides cut protection with comfort, suppleness, lightness and thermal resistance for day to day use. Paul Clow, commented on the new gloves saying that “If people are not encumbered by their PPE they will be more productive.” A point which was reiterated many times during the presentation of the new products.
The investment in product development and the way in which DPP has listened to end user problems before improving its products is evident from the benefits the new developments provide. If on reading this article you think of a particular PPE problem at your site then contact the company via the reader enquiry number or even visit them at the Safety & Health Expo 2005 (Birmingham.
N.E.C., 17-19 May). More articles from DuPont UK Ltd: | 
