Tecman Advanced Healthcare Products is once more leading the field in the development of high-quality, British-made PPE for the NHS with Optec® - a new biomaterial reusable face shield system designed to help the NHS reach it’s carbon emission reduction targets.
At the start of Covid-19, the urgent need for safe and comfortable PPE to protect frontline healthcare workers enabled British manufacturing to demonstrate incredible agility. But it simultaneously raised concerns about the environmental impact of more disposable commodities.
In fact, in a recent survey carried out by Tecman, 90% of the 156 healthcare workers surveyed communicated growing concerns about the environmental impact of PPE.
Tecman’s latest development tackles these concerns head on. Optec® reusable face shield system from the Leamington-based company is underpinned by their 4 Pillars of Comfort, addressing the need for safe and comfortable protection that’s not only kinder to the environment but has a lower cost per wear.
With this new, more sustainable protective face shield system, Tecman has responded to the government’s recommendations for reusable PPE and has been developing the eco-friendly face shield alongside the NHS.
Benefits of Tecman’s new biomaterial reusable face shields include:
- Supports NHS targets for carbon reduction
- Reusable biomaterials reduce plastic use and environmental impact of PPE
- Sustainably managed solution reduces pressure on waste management
- Easy to clean whilst minimising bacteria build-up
- New ergonomic design for improved wearer comfort and protection
- Lower price per wear than single-use face shields
- Cleanable screens for a more sustainable product with no loss of anti-fog
- 100 cleanable screens is equivalent to up to 1,000 single use visors
Leading the way in British-made PPE
Since spring 2020, the Tecman team have been on a mission to make British-engineered protective visors the number one choice for our NHS workers and has been working closely with the NHS ever since. Underpinned by their 4 Pillars of Comfort, Tecman’s face and eye protection products are developed to provide comfort to the wearer across four key areas - feel, performance, sustainability and cost.
As part of this drive, the company invested over £500,000 in state-of-the-art machinery that enabled them to boost production of their protective face shields to over 1 million units per week. Their efforts were rewarded when, in June 2020, their original face shield became one of the first to receive the sought-after category III complex design PPE level.
In recognition of the product’s quality and comfort, the company’s face shield is specified by the NHS in its product framework and catalogue, and has already been used by hundreds of thousands of frontline healthcare workers.
The next step for Tecman is to run hospital trials on this new range of protective products and to incorporate wearer feedback on comfort, safety and durability into its next round of improvements.
A boost for the UK economy
The West Midlands-based company currently exports its protective face shields throughout Europe, and has been working with global organisations such as UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) to ensure production remains at peak levels.
Kevin Porter, Tecman’s Technical Director, said: “We’ve worked hard alongside the NHS to develop a more sustainable reusable face shield system and we’re delighted with the results. This new sustainable solution addresses rising concerns about the environmental impact of disposable PPE, provides value to the NHS, and prioritises wearer comfort and the safety of our vital healthcare workers.”
For further information about Optec® biomaterial reusable face shield system, contact a Tecman on +44 (0) 1926 337466 or email [email protected]
