PAPR protective headgears from the cooperation of Thais for Thais
8 July 2021
During the time when Thai people are facing the COVID-19 pandemic, it has brought about cooperation and the opportunity for the whole country to ‘help, share, and cooperate.’ The Electricity Generating Authority Thailand (EGAT) is another government agency to join in forwarding assistance to the frontline personnel such as the medical team within the hospital to the best of its ability.
For the latest project, EGAT used the potential and expertise of a volunteer technician team to produce PAPR protective headgears arising from ‘care’ to decrease problems and eliminate obstacles in treating patients during the COVID-19 pandemic period. It will also decrease the wastage of PPE suits as it can be used as a substitutive equipment; therefore, there will be no need to dispose of the old suit and change into a new one while resting. Although PPE suits can protect the medical team from the virus, wearing a suit to cover the whole body is difficult for ventilation and cooling, especially if they have an important mission of treating or saving the lives of patients that takes several hours, which will become even more difficult to perform their duties. Due to the limitations of the PPE suit, both from the accumulated heat within the suit and the vapor which appears on the mask when breathing, the suit is inconvenient for work. The air inside the suit is insufficient and has even led to suffocation and fainting.
EGAT produced PAPR protective headgears with an emphasis on efficiency and safety standards under the consultation and guidance of the medical team. It has been carefully developed with unique features, making it different from the usual version because the team had monitored the testing results and had made improvements until they were satisfied. This version of the PAPR protective headgear is lightweight, has a wide screen, provides flexible head movement, and also blows cool air from an ultra-low noise fan motor, which the user can adjust the wind speed to be balanced for a clearer communication between the medical team. Moreover, it also has a powerful battery-powered system that works with fast charging. Therefore, it is effective for working alongside the doctor for up to eight hours, which supports the usage in difficult situations during this period.
While you are reading this article, the EGAT volunteer technician team is continuing to produce PAPR protective headgears quickly at the production and quality testing base in EGAT Nong Chok Office; an internationally known full-service center for power plant maintenance, production, testing, and spare parts management. The office is fully equipped and has an experienced technician team to help complete the goal of 500 headgears in order to gradually deliver all the protective equipment to the medical team within July 2021. As for assembling each piece, it is meticulously handcrafted in a Clean Room and packaged into separate boxes before delivery. This can ensure that every headgear is clean and 100% free from contaminants.
The meaningful beginning would not have happened without the ‘heart’ and ‘fund support’ from the kindness of Thai people who joined with EGAT through the ‘Tae Jai’ platform to help achieve the fund target within a short time. During the time of crisis when the world is dealing with the difficulty of the COVID-19 situation, it is up to Thai people to give each other support and a helping hand in order to get through the crisis together. EGAT wishes to be another helping hand for the ‘Breath of the Future,’ when all Thai people will have access the fresh air again.