COV-RID PRESS RELEASE

As a provider of key infrastructure, Network Rail in collaboration with Suttles could not stop work when the COVID-19 pandemic caused nationwide lockdowns and brought the world to a standstill. The organisations have gone above and beyond to keep their workers safe, recognising the need to do more to protect their workers’ health and safety.

Rejecting the idea that health and safety simply consists of providing the standard hard hats and face masks, the organisations have recognised that, at its heart, what is essentially important is people. Therefore, they have taken it upon themselves to revaluate the way they clean and disinfect and, in turn, have set new industry standards – the ‘Suttle Standard’. In implementing an innovative system on their Network Rail site, Suttles are not only sanitising their workspaces, but also ensuring their staff feel their workspaces are clean. Most importantly, they are removing hazardous and toxic substances from the work place and not subjecting staff, colleagues, and contractors to potentially toxic and hazardous cleaning materials/hand sanitiser.

COVID-19 has put unprecedented demand on individuals, business, and society to clean and disinfect more regularly and thoroughly. Network Rail/Suttles have partnered with Knights Security Group to implement new practices and standards in the cleaning process, fostering innovation and changing the way we think about cleaning; ultimately, making the process simpler, quicker, and safer.

They achieve this by a three-prong method which is underpinned by Knights Security Group’s unique high-level disinfectant called COV-RID that is EN14476 tested and proven to remove Coronaviruses. Derived from plant oils, the COV-RID High-Level Disinfectant was specifically developed to be non-toxic and non-hazardous while still removing 99.99% of viruses and 99.999% of bacteria.

The second prong to COV-RID is that it can be used in thermal fogging equipment. This enables 100% any size or shape space to be quickly and safely treated with the unique COV-RID High Level Disinfectant. Thermal fogging enables you to fill any enclosed area with COV-RID, removing 99.99% of viruses and 99.999% of bacteria from the treated area. The product has the benefit that as the fog is dry. This means after fogging you are left with dry surfaces, with no wet or sticky residue to wipe down. Therefore COV-RID is also safe to be used in areas which contain electrical items and machinery. COV-RID thermal fogging provides a fast, safe, and effective method to treat 100% of the space with a high-level disinfection with which traditional cleaning methods cannot compare.

Finally, as the third prong of the method, Network Rail/Suttles have issued 50ml bottles of COV-RID Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitisers to all their staff, alongside providing sanitiser stands and refills on-site, thus reducing their environmental impact. Despite being alcohol-free, the COV-RID Hand Sanitiser is EN14476 tested and proven to remove Coronaviruses.

All COV-RID products are alcohol-free, which removes issues such as flammability, unpleasant odours, and high alcohol content vapour causing intoxication – important issues to consider in a construction environment. Its formulation is also skin friendly without causing the all-too-common feeling of dry or flaky hands, the COV-RID hand sanitiser leaves the skin feeling comfortable, silky, and smooth, thus encouraging frequent use.

As part of the ‘Suttles Standard’, they have identified a key issue within the construction industry. Companies are using the same cleaning methods and products over an extended period of time and have not kept up with recent developments. This goes against Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) which state that employers are required to replace hazardous substances as soon as viable alternatives are made available. This is exactly what Network Rail in collaboration with Suttles are doing – they are replacing cleaning methods which use hazardous substances, with their three-pronged approach using COV-RID High-Level Disinfectant.

Network Rail and Suttles have now set a precedent for the ‘Suttle Standard’ of worker protection. They have completely reset industry expectations of standards which should be implemented moving forward by using PPE to bolster levels of protection in an already clean environment, rather than asking their workers to enter a dirty and potentially dangerous workspace.

Implementing a fast, efficient, and effective system, using Knights Security Group’s non-hazardous and non-toxic COV-RID products, means they haven’t had a single case of COVID-19 among their workers. Staff report feeling safer within their working environment and Network Rail have continued to operate throughout the pandemic, providing a key service for the nation.

Email us at COV-RID@COV-RID.CO.UK

Find us on www.cov-rid.co.uk