Current breathing apparatus typically uses a hard material interface, which requires the wearer to be clean shaven for an effective protective facial seal. As a result users must be clean shaven for fitting of the apparatus, and remain so even if it is used infrequently. In reality operatives are not always suitably shaven to meet the manufacturers’ safety requirement, which negatively affects the fit and sealing capability, causing a health and safety risk. This restricts personal style choices from the user, as well as the potential to impact on religious belief.
The solution is to develop improved breathing apparatus seals that can form a complete seal for users who have beards. This will:
Improve protective sealing between the face and breathing apparatus (full face and half mask)
Accommodate changes in facial hair styles
Accommodate variations in musculoskeletal structure
Improve fit and comfort
Increase safety and compliance
Provide personal styling freedom for operatives (which could potentially improve moral)
Benefits
There is significant potential for new learning as a result of the research and development conducted during this project. The technical development will provide a good assessment of the design capability and limitations, while the commercial development will show how NGN commercial interests and those of other stakeholders influence the product development. Both development streams can be applied to other products/criteria, and new contacts made during this project may have other benefits to NGN.
Learnings
Outcomes
The research and development activities have all contributed to a business case being presented for a product with tremendous potential and a clear demand.
There are currently limitations to the circumstances and respiratory equipment to which the seal material will be compatible. These current limitations may change as further development is undertaken.
An existing material has been identified which can form a seal between a wearers face and existing hard respirators (non-disposable). It is compatible with a limited amount of facial hair (~3.5mm) without affecting the protection factor required to be achieved. It can be applied and removed easily and requires an adjustment from the current techniques when donning close fitting respirators that is acceptable to a sample of users surveyed.
Lessons Learnt
The lessons learned from the project were:
· Various discussion took place throughout the project about IP ownership – it may have been beneficial to identify this as a continual touch point for discussion and establish routine review regarding this at the start of the project.
· Initially the project included a requirement to do include field trials involving NGN operatives – the scope and intention of any field trials should be established prior to the project starting. When we researched the viability of performing quantitative or qualitative workplace studies it became apparent that arranging field trials that would meet regulatory needs (to demonstrate product conformance) is a specialism for which NGN do not have the required competencies or facilities.
· It is hoped that the potential of the product will be enough to stimulate manufacturer interest in the funding of another development phase and then into manufacture, but this was never guaranteed.
· IP ownership and protection of confidential designs is complex and not something that NGN have in-depth experience in.
