NI-made sanitising unit plugs a safety gap

The company’s latest product is a new hands-free sanitising unit, designed and made right here in Northern Ireland.

The new unit, the Gel-Gem, has a number of unique features that make it a superior choice for public spaces and business owners. It was invented by Raymond Fegan, MD of d7 Property Services in Banbridge, who designed the unit specifically to address the shortcomings of many of those available on the market.

A major consideration was making it hands-free to avoid the risk of contamination from using the unit. This is an important factor that many existing products fail to address according to GP Dr Mark McClean.

He said: “A foot-operated or ‘hands-free’ sanitising unit is undoubtedly far safer than hand-operated models, which should be phased out as soon as possible, given the current ongoing coronavirus threat.”

Other benefits of the Gel-Gem include its large capacity – available in 4, 10 and 17 litre capacity options, which covers up to 24,000 hands, reducing the need for regular refilling. It’s also drip-free, foot-operated and has a square body suitable for branding with your company details. It’s highly robust and comes with a warranty of up to three years, but what makes the Gel-Gem unique, is that it’s been designed with a wheelchair accessible option – a definite benefit for anyone wanting to ensure accessibility for all users.

As businesses, retailers and other outlets prepare for re-opening to the public, units like these are a vital consideration as part of health and safety strategies. As with other products in the Sía PPE range, quality, reliability and user-safety are prime factors that set the Gel-Gem unit apart from competitors.

Michael Heaslip, founder of Sía PPE explains how the new product came about “We were looking into supplying sanitising units when I spoke to Dr Mark McClean, who explained the importance of hands-free units that reduce the risk of cross-contamination from users. We couldn’t find anything like that and talked to Raymond, who designed Gel-Gem and was happy partner with us on distribution. The unique features of the unit, particularly the hands-free operation and wheelchair accessibility, are major advantages. We’ve been asked about accessibility in customer enquiries but couldn’t find anything that met all of these criteria until Raymond set to work. The fact that it’s been designed and is manufactured in Northern Ireland is another bonus for the local economy too.”

Although the business is only a few months old, Sía PPE has expanded its range quickly and now has an extensive collection of PPE products, signage and more available to purchase from its website at www.siappe.co. To date, it has provided over 15million units of PPE to frontline carers and key workers.