Waste management company Veolia UK and Ireland has begun to produce its own sanitizer in order to protect its waste workers from Covid-19.
Veolia has taken the decision after the unprecedented demand for the product during the coronavirus pandemic, which has made sourcing sanitizer difficult.
Veolia’s team of qualified chemists, who have a background in sampling and cataloguing hazardous waste, have produced 500 litres of liquid sanitiser at Veolia’s High Temperature Incinerator facility in two variants – one based on isopropanol and the other on ethanol
The sanitiser adheres to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) short-term exemptions from the usual requirements for product authorisation, which is usually mandatory to ensure the safety of this type of biocidal product, as well as recent World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.
Commenting on the development, Richard Kirkman, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Veolia UK and Ireland, said: "As a company with key workers keeping waste, energy and water infrastructure operational we are also focused on keeping our dedicated teams safe. The new sanitiser, produced in our own labs, will mean we can ensure they will have the supplies they need to continue their critical roles supporting hospitals, electricity generation, waste collection, food production and the water industry."
High standards of personal and workplace hygiene have been identified as key in efforts to prevent the spread of Covid-19 among workforces, as highlighted in guidance produced by the Waste Industry Safety and Health Forum (WISH), the latest version of which was released on Wednesday (15 April).
WISH’s guidance recommends periodic cleaning of surfaces in workplaces and vehicle cabs, regularly washing hands for 20 seconds with warm, soapy water, wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), using tissues when sneezing or coughing and immediately disposing of these in the bin, and placing workwear in washable or disposable laundry bags to prevent cross-contamination between workwear items.
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