Going beyond safety

As a representative of the internationally acclaimed personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturer, Honeywell, at A-OSH Expo 2017, HSE Solutions set out to be the one-stop PPE shop at the event

Stephen Burrow, GM at HSE Solutions, says: “As a company we have grown to the extent that we are now capable of providing clients with anything from head protection to disposable work wear. We recently looked into providing a range of five different Honeywell safety boots to a customer and we already have a container at customs ready for delivery.

“In terms of hearing protection, HSE Solutions represents what is probably the most well-known brand in the world; the Howard Leight range, which is a Honeywell product. It has disposable and re-usable products for hearing protection across various industries.

“We know that no ear canal is the same, and a 20-year-old male’s ear canal won’t look the same when he is 50. Therefore, we came up with a solution to enable workers to try on different sizes – small, medium and large – to see which size works the best for them.”

HSE Solutions and Honeywell have made 3D designs and moulds for the Fusion, Fusion Small and SmartFit earplugs. “We can now go to workers on site and see which of the three fits best. We know the dangers of under and over protection, which is why it is important for each person to have a set of earplugs that is comfortable and does the job well,” says Burrow.

HSE Solutions’ selection of Honeywell head protection also offers apparel for every environment. “We’ve got spectacles and goggles for every job, both indoors and outdoors, which provide anti-scratch or anti-fog capabilities – we have it all,” notes Burrow.

“The other headgear that we are focusing on is arc-flash equipment, which has a hard hat with a visor. This is generally for people who work in
arc-flash or industrial environments, as well as for those who work in the confines of a welding environment, but are not actually doing the welding themselves,” explains Burrow.

In terms of welding equipment, HSE Solutions markets two brand portfolios: Optrel and Honeywell. “The Optrel brand of welding equipment products is popular on an international scale. Optrel focuses strongly on automated darkening helmets and supplied air units. While the Honeywell welding equipment is not as advanced as that of Optrel, it covers the basics and is still very reliable,” says Burrow.

HSE Solutions is looking forward to new releases from Optrel and Honeywell by the end of the year. “At the moment none of the manufacturers want to give away any of the product details,” says Burrow.

With regard to its disposable work wear range, HSE Solutions is focusing on the Mutex 2 and Mutex Light, which are made of polyethylene and polypropylene. “They are in big demand for environments with airborne dust, or splashing liquids. The fabric is water resistant with 65 grams per cm of fabric weight. This makes the range quite light, but capable of resisting tears that result from moving around in confined spaces,” explains Burrow.

The company’s replication of a mining environment attracted a lot of attention on the stand. It was used to display a variety of the combinations of the PPE that work well in a mining environment. One of the products was the Fenzy Bio-S-Cape system.

This is a compressed-air emergency-escape breathing device designed to offer easy donning and optimal respiratory protection. It is contained in a bag for carrying which, when opened, automatically triggers the supply of breathable air from the cylinder. An alarm whistle indicates when the air supply is about to run out. “It provides up to a 15-minute supply of oxygen to enable the worker to exit the danger zone,” explains Burrow. “It is a disposable unit, but it can be serviced, repaired and replaced. It is very popular and is doing extremely well in the market.”

Other than providing these top-of-the-range products, HSE Solutions offers some value-added services. “We offer training on how to keep glasses clean and how to store and clean gloves. Our more advanced training demonstrates the differences between gloves and what they can and can’t do,” says Burrow.

“We have a mobile care centre for our reusable respiratory masks, where we swop out any worn or damaged components. We also sterilise and clean the equipment, which allows it to be reused several times,” he adds.

“We believe most of the visitors at A-OSH are already customers, but most don’t know about everything we do and offer,” says Burrow. “We put a lot of effort into our stand to show the full range of our products and to demonstrate our level of competence to both new and existing customers.”

Burrow concludes: “We benefit tremendously by partnering with Honeywell, as its initiatives go above and beyond the client’s safety. We base our work on this and we’ll continue to do so. We are there to satisfy the customer’s every safety need.”