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Esco Pharma News

News Feeling Alienated by Safety?

Feeling Alienated by Safety?

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Feeling Alienated by Safety?

Protecting yourself from highly hazardous materials doesn’t have to make you look out of this world.

Are you confident with your isolator’s safe change filter feature?

Equipped with high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, an isolator is capable of containing the hazardous drugs manufactured.

HEPA filters then have direct contact and contain high level of hazardous drug concentration. This possess an occupational risk during HEPA filter replacement.

Why HEPA filter replacement poses a risk?

  • Since HEPA filters prevent the passage of hazardous drugs out of the containment primary engineering control (C-PEC) such as isolators and BSCs, it gets loaded overtime.
  • HEPA filters should be replaced when it gets loaded, damaged or when in-house safety protocol requires filter replacement.
  • HEPA filters are fragile. During replacement, hazardous drug particles may be released to the area, thereby exposing the personnel and environment.

Why HEPA filter replacement poses a risk?

  • Due to its inherent occupational hazard risk, HEPA filter change should be dealt by trained personnel with appropriate personal protective equipment only.
  • In case of filter leaks, immediately stop the operation, cover the equipment with plastic, and notify your immediate supervisor.

 

SAFE HEPA FILTER REPLACEMENT

Level of Protection

BIBO Safe Change

It utilizes a Bag-in, Bag-out Filter to safely remove the filter after biodecontamination. It provides protection against exposure for the maintenance personnel and the environment.

Low-contamination Filter Change

Filter change is done inside the closed isolator, through the glove ports. The used filter is placed in a safety disposal bag and removed from the isolator through the pass chamber. This provides a minimal exposure to the maintenance personnel and the environment.

Safe Change Procedure

Facilities shall develop SOPs for safe change of HEPA filters such as wearing of appropriate PPE. The filter should be changed and the scrap filter be placed in a safety disposal bag. However, among the methods for safe filter change, this is the least effective because the only protection is because the only protection is the PPE.

BIBO Safe Change allows removal without exposure to contaminated filters.

Full body PPE is now a thing of the past, heavy protection doesn’t have to be worn.

 

HEPA Filters of ESCO Isolators can be upgraded to safe change BIBO!

As Platform Specialists, Esco Pharma provides specialist services, equipment packages, and process solutions from our core platform products leading to improved protection of operators, reduction of cross-contamination and more efficient processing, thereby directly and indirectly advancing occupational health and human healthcare.

For more information on our isolators, check out our pharma wide product range or meet us at the following events:

Exhibition

Date

Venue

Country

Pharmtech Expo 2016

Nov. 22-25, 2016

Crocus Expo IEC, Pavilion 2

Moscow, Russia

MENA Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Congress 2016

Nov. 29- Dec. 01, 2016

Le Meridien Jeddah

Jeddah, KSA

2016 ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition

Dec. 04-08, 2016

Mandalay Bay Convention Centre

Las Vegas, Nevada USA