For over eight decades, Scott Safety’s approach to product development has positioned the company as the preferred provider of high specification safety solutions to major global organisations, such as first responders; the military and civil defence; the petroleum, oil and gas sector and chemical, construction and industrial environments.
“The relationships we have with our customers start and end with their safety first and foremost. As a company, we have always focused on the customer and their needs as the first step in every product development initiative,” says Tony Pickett, Scott Safety’s Global Product Manager, Air Supplied. “We continuously ask ourselves ‘what can we produce to make their jobs easier and above all, safer’?”
With more than 34 products developed in the last five years, Scott Safety has been at the forefront in the drive to improve product design and reduce user burden. Recent changes to the design of its Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) and high pressure air cylinders include efforts to improve user comfort by reducing weight and incorporating ergonomic improvements.
Tony Picket continues “At Scott Safety, we understand the physiological and psychological burden Respiratory Protective Equipment can place on users. SCBA sets are often seen as restrictive and tiresome when worn for long periods in challenging environments. In fact, working in difficult conditions or carrying out arduous tasks often results in distressed breathing, that in turn increases the volume of air breathed per minute. Our research identified a need for a breathing apparatus that offered extended breathing duration, whilst also remaining compact and lightweight for maximum movability.
“In developing our latest SCBA offering, we started with these requirements from the end user. Then we assessed every element of the design and applied the latest technologies to provide comfortable, low burden equipment so the wearer can focus on the important task in hand.”
A first within the industry, Scott Safety has increased the air pressure within its new 379 bar cylinder to provide users with additional air capacity – without increasing the weight or size of the cylinder. The 379 bar cylinders offer 25% higher pressures than the standard 300 bar SCBA providing wearers with an extended breathing duration of up to 75 minutes.
There will be three different capacities of the 379 bar cylinder available: 5.7 litre, 7.6 litre and 9.5 litre. These have the equivalent durations of 45 minutes, 60 minutes and a new duration of 75 minutes based on a breathing rate of 40 litres per minute.
Constructed of an aluminium alloy inner shell and overwrapped entirely with lightweight carbon-fibre, the new cylinders are up to 5% lighter than others on the market. The increased pressure has also allowed for a significant reduction in cylinder size. The reduced size helps users shift their centre of gravity, which increases the comfort of the complete SCBA set. Additionally, the reduced length of the cylinder helps to avoid interference with helmets and head protection.
Tony Pickett concludes: “Reliability, quality and performance cannot be compromised when it comes to the needs of our customers, who are working on the frontline. Whilst we are extremely excited about the development of our 379 bar cylinder, we promise to continue in our mission to create quality, high performance solutions that will help keep our customers safe day after day.”
For more information on the new 379 bar cylinder and to view Scott Safety’s full product offering, please visit www.scottsafety.com/en/emea.
