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WIRING ACCESSORIES — A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH

Scolmore’s Click Mode wiring accessories have recently undergone further independent testing and have achieved a 99.98% kill off rate against Influenza A (H1N1). Here, Katie Plumstead, Marketing Manager, Scolmore Group, looks at some of the issues surrounding the supply of electrical products to the healthcare sector.

Infection control is one of the biggest challenges facing the healthcare sector and, as the fight to overcome new variants of the COVID-19 virus continues, there is an increasing emphasis on infection control and building cleanliness.

Healthcare associated infections (HCAI) arise across a wide range of clinical conditions and can affect people of all ages. They can exacerbate existing or underlying conditions, delay recovery and adversely affect quality of life. A number of factors can increase the risk of acquiring an infection, but high standards of infection prevention and control practice, including providing clean environments, can minimise the risk.

The question for our industry is what are the issues and requirements surrounding the supply and installation of electrical equipment? Anyone operating within and supplying to this sector is required to work with products that meet the demands for hygiene and safety, and that includes electrical products.

Switch plates, such as light switches, dimmers and sockets have one of the highest touch rates in any environment, so are likely to hold a significant number of microbes on their surfaces. Whilst regular and rigorous cleaning of these settings is essential, the use of products with antimicrobial properties will also have a part to play to help inhibit the spread of infection.

For contractors and installers working within a healthcare setting, they will seek the reassurance from manufacturers that the products they are specifying and installing meet the required standards and that they are able to supply the test certificates to prove it.

“Infection control is one of the biggest challenges facing the healthcare sector”

Advanced hygiene properties

Scolmore continues to invest to ensure that its wiring accessory products offer enhanced hygiene properties. The company’s Mode, Mode Part M and Polar plates have recently undergone further independent testing and have achieved a 99.98% kill off rate against Influenza A (H1N1) after a 24-hour period.

This latest testing further boosts the range’s hygiene credentials. Independent testing previously undertaken has also shown the products to have anti-viral properties against enveloped and non-enveloped viruses. After a contact period of four hours, all tested plates were shown to have a 99.9% kill off rate against enveloped viruses and a 92% kill off rate against non-enveloped viruses. This anti-viral testing is in addition to the anti-bacterial testing already carried out. Mode, Mode Part M and Polar ranges are all manufactured using Urea Formaldehyde, which has similar inherent properties to antimicrobial additives that inhibit the growth of infectious diseases. When independently tested, all products achieved a 99.99% kill off rate across all four types of the strains of bacteria – MRSA, E-Coli, Salmonella and Klebsiella Pneumonia.

Testing certification

The standard used to qualify Scolmore’s products is ISO 22196. The standard ISO 22916 test method is designed to test the ability of plastics and other similar materials to kill or prevent the growth of microorganisms, over a 24-hour period of contact. ISO 22196 is one of the most commonly requested antimicrobial surface test methods for evaluating the antimicrobial activity of antibacterial treated plastic products. Scolmore Group says that it is happy to share test reports on request.

Medical solutions

These antibacterial and antiviral certified switches and sockets are part of Scolmore’s Medical Solutions range, which also includes blue ‘Medial Equipment Only’ sockets; red and green outboard rocker switched socket outlets; key lockable switches and sockets; locating sockets; wide rocker switches; Part M visually contrasting wiring accessories; and the IEC Lock unique lockable connectors.

This comprehensive range of medical solutions means that specifiers, contractors and installers can provide healthcare establishments with products that meet the requirements of BS 7671 (IET wiring regulations). They are intended to be used by healthcare organisations and medical device suppliers responsible for permanent electrical installation of medical devices and associated equipment.

Products from the Mode, Mode Part M and Polar ranges have been specified and installed across a huge range of applications including hospitals, care homes, schools, hotels, offices and leisure complexes.

Scolmore, scolmore.com