Canadian Occupational Safety

26 Canadian Occupational Safety | www.cos-mag.com Mobile device disinfection station Sealed Air's Diversey Care division has introduced the Sky 7xi, a mobile device disinfection solution for health-care environments. In one minute or less, Sky safely disinfects tablets and smartphones with high-intensity ultraviolet light in the C spectrum (UVC) that penetrates the cells of pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and spores. "Phones and tablets, which are being used with increased frequency within health-care facilities, are extremely high-touch surfaces and potential sources of health-care associated infections," says Carolyn Cooke, vice-president, healthcare North America, Diversey Care. "Sky is portable and easy to use, enabling fast and effective disinfection of facility-owned, health-care worker and visitor devices and allowing organizations to create safer and more satisfying environments of care." The Sky 7xi disinfects devices with targeted UVC light, rather than fumes or chemicals, making it a safe and effective method for reducing handheld device pathogen transmission. It achieves up to a 5-log reduction in harmful pathogens including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin- resistant enterococci (VRE), multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram negative, norovirus and C. difficile spores. With desktop, wall mount and mobile cart options, the device can be placed in multiple locations. The design provides 360-degree coverage and can accom- modate devices up to 1 inch thick by 8 inches wide and 12 inches long. Kickspike makes boots ice and snow safe with just a kick When the COS team was at the National Safety Council's conference in Indianapolis in Septem- ber, one of the products that really stood out was Kickspike boot. These boots are the first to have retractable metal spikes to help keep workers safe on ice and snow. With a simple click of a button on the back of the boot, the spikes deploy and retract. The boots are ideal for any worker who needs traction on ice and snow, such as delivery and postal workers, truckers and oil and gas work- ers. According to the company's president Darrell Bachmann, they are a great alternative to traction devices that slip over a work boot. "People don't want to put traction devices on, and they won't use them, or they won't take them off when they are supposed to take them off…. (Companies) have had people, when they come inside because they did not take their traction devices off, slip and break legs," says Bachmann, who is based in Vaughan, Ont. "It's just as danger- ous wearing that traction device on a cement floor." Kickspike is coming up on three years in the market and it is accident free — there has not been a single slip or fall on snow or ice with Kickspike, says Bachmann. One reason for this is the ease of use of the product — just the click of a button, on and off, he says. The CSA Group is currently re-writing its foot protection standard to include Kickspike, says Bachmann. But because the composite safety toe is rated ASTM F2413-11, it can still be worn in Canada — it does not need to have CSA approval. "Just last week I went through this with every WCB exec in every province and they all accept ASTM approval. So I have letters from WCB being written up now saying 'Hey, we will accept any workplace injury if they have ASTM certified boots; you don't need to have CSA boots,'" Bachmann says. "In our minds, everyone's minds, you have to have CSA approval to sell a safety product in Canada. Not true. Not true. I can't believe it." All spikes are easily replaceable with the tool provided and built with energy return and shock absorption to fight fatigue. The composite-toe waterproof boot warms with Thinsulate Ultra Insu- lation and the Dri-Lex lining fights sweat to keep feet dry. The removable double density foot bed adds cushioning and stability. Kickspike was originally made for golf shoes so that golfers could go from tee to green. Bachmann appeared on CBC's Dragon's Den in 2008 and he signed the show's first $1-million deal with all five dragons. But when Bachmann was at a PGA mer- chandise show in Orlando, the president of the United States Postal Service said he needed Kickspike for his postal workers. This prompted Bachmann to review his business plan and he decided to switch gears into the work boot business. Brasco launches Rasco women's FR in Canada When the female employees at Brasco Safety conduct site visits and meet customers, they want personal protective equipment (PPE) that fits them properly, which is not always an easy task. The distributor, based in Sherwood Park, Alta., is a predomi- nantly female company, so it decided to start looking for PPE made for women. "It became a passion of ours to add women's workwear to our storefront. There's not many vendors and manufacturers out there right now that are focusing on women's workwear," says Desiree Vreim, account manager at Brasco Safety. Often, women are forced to wear garments manufactured for men, which are ill-fitting. This creates safety issues, such as trip and snag hazards, as well as issues with compliance for welding, hydrocarbon flash fires and arc flash hazards. The Brasco team came across Rasco at a trade show and was excited by its wom- en's flame resistent (FR) line. "A garment that is not fitted properly cannot protect the wearer against threats it was manufactured to mitigate," says Annie Nundahl, sales representative for Rasco FR. "Rasco continues to develop the women's line to introduce new styles and fabrics, ensuring women will not have to sacrifice compliance, style or durability." Rasco's women's FR line includes work shirts in classic blue and khaki, but also in plaid, denim and plum. Women's FR jeans are available, as are khakis and navy pants. The shirts and pants meet NFPA 70E, ASTM F1506 and NFPA 2112, and are HRC-2 arc rated. Long-sleeve cotton tops that are HRC-2 arc rated are also available in camouflage and navy. Nundahl and Vreim continue to work closely together to discuss feedback from the workers who are wear- ing Rasco apparel and to add new items to the line. TOOLS OF THE TRADE PRODUCTS & SERVICES The latest OHS innovations and industry updates Gore FR apparel goes hi-vis W. L. Gore & Associates has introduced high-visibility orange and yellow options to its new line of Gore FR Apparel products. The performance FR outerwear gar- ments offer an ideal balance of protection, comfort and durability for oil and gas workers in physically demanding and extreme environmental conditions, says the manufacturer. The new high-visibility yellow and orange garments meet or exceed ANSI 107-15 Type R, Class 2 and CSA Z96-15, Class 2, Level 2. "Adding high-visibility offerings to the Gore FR Apparel portfolio brings an additional element of safety to what is already a best-in-class line of protec- tive outerwear," says Sean McDearmon, sales leader for Gore FR Apparel. "Our products continue to ensure worker safety and comfort by enhancing visibility, increasing range of motion, minimizing bulk and reducing the effects of mois- ture build-up across a wide range of environmental conditions and varying work rates." Individuals may recognize Gore-Tex in their favourite outerwear, but now they can have that breathable protection from rain, wind and snow on the job with the added protection of FR and high-vis. Gore FR Apparel products boast superior breathability for excellent sweat management, with moisture evaporating through the Gore-Tex fabric. Made with Gore-Tex Pyrad fabric, the garments protect against flash fire as the Pyrad layer forms protective, stable char, keeping the integrity of the laminate to provide enhanced protection. Workers are also protected against petroleum and oil-based hazards, as well as hot liquids and steam. The garments are resistant to abra- sion, snagging and cracking in extreme low temperatures.

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