With its introduction of the Rada Sense electronic water control system, Rada, the commercial shower and washroom division of Kohler Mira, has developed the UK's first infra-red, no touch control panel for both water flow and temperature control.
As such, Rada Sense presents the opportunity to considerably reduce instances of cross infection in healthcare establishments where there are serious concerns about the MRSA 'super bug'. The integral system design features can also greatly reduce the opportunities for legionella to breed.
Rada Sense offers a unique combination of safety, hygiene and absolute thermal control and even features an inbuilt thermal disinfection cycle to ensure that risks of infection and contamination from water borne bacteria are minimised. There is also an automatic duty flush function, the frequency of which can be increased or reduced to suit individual site requirements.
As Roy Minett, Commercial Marketing Manager of Kohler Mira explains, the Rada Sense addresses a number of health and safety issues that can adversely affect hospitals and healthcare establishments.
"There are major initiatives within hospitals and the wider healthcare sector to control the MRSA superbug with official statistics indicating that the number of deaths in which MRSA has been cited as a cause having doubled in the past four years," he explains.
"However good the hand washing regimes, there will always be cross infection from hands as a consequence of manual operation of taps. With Rada Sense, the no touch control panel eliminates these opportunities.
The Rada Sense hands-free infra-red control panel can activate both water flow and temperature.
"With regard to legionella, it is a well known fact that the risk of legionella breeding rises when peripheral outlets are not in regular use and where 'dead legs' occur. The Health and Safety Commissions 'Approved Code of Practice L8' advises that flushing through these outlets for several minutes can significantly reduce the numbers of legionella discharged from the outlet.
"The Rada Sense duty flushing facility can be programmed to automatically perform duty flushing on peripherally located baths, showers or basins at hourly, daily or weekly intervals, whichever is appropriate.
"The Health and Safety Commission's 'AcoP L8' also recommends routine thermal disinfection as a means of preventing or controlling legionella. This can be achieved by activating the Sense thermal disinfection facility which - under supervision - allows hot water at a temperature of at least 60°C to be flushed through the electronic mixing valve and all outlet pipe-work. Of course this is simply not possible where conventional TMV's are fitted," Roy Minett adds.
At the heart of Rada Sense is its concealed electronic mixing unit, which, by using Rada's unique T-logicŪ technology and custom-developed software, offers the facility manager in hospitals or healthcare environments the capability of adjusting pre-set flow and temperature parameters to suit a particular application need as required. The mixing unit is supplied factory-set to comply with TMV3 safe temperature settings for hospitals.
This promotes safety in areas where users are vulnerable or where there is a duty of care to the young, infirm or less able.
Entirely UK designed, Rada Sense offers a unique combination of safety, hygiene and absolute thermal control using groundbreaking technology that exceeds the TMV3 performance levels and satisfies the demanding IEC61508 standard. IEC61508 is an internationally recognised standard for electrical and electronic equipment that is used to provide a safety function.
There are a range of Rada Sense options for basin, bath, bidet, shower or bath/shower water delivery systems offering wide potential for applications in hospitals and healthcare environments.
Aesthetics are also an important part of the Rada Sense package and the stylish wall mounted control panel will look as much at home in a new, state-of-the-art hospital as in a sports club or leisure centre.
Finally, as Roy Minett adds, the day-to-day needs of the facilities operator have been an important part of the Rada Sense development.
"As with all of its new generation of thermostatic products, at Rada we strive to make life easier for the installer and operator," he explains. "As such, any adjustment to the Rada Sense settings and routine maintenance checks are undertaken from the front of the installation using a hand-held computer.
"Using the computer, the operator can also activate the thermal disinfection cycle and read out data logging information to ensure the highest standards are met and maintained," he concludes.
For further information on this exciting new range of products have a look at www.radasense.com To contact Kohler Mira call (01242) 282527 or fax (01242) 282404. e-mail: Rada_Technical@mirashowers.com
ENDS
* Accredited to NHS Model Engineering Specification D08.
