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Hughes Safety Showers are delighted to announce their nomination in the Manchester Evening News Business Awards 2009.
The below interview with Managing Director Tony Hughes was published on August 24th and the awards take place at The Lowry Hotel, Salford, on November 5th 2009.
Manchester Evening News, August 24th 2009
We will keep you informed of our progress in the awards on our Blog and Twitter feed.
To find out more about the Manchester Evening News Business Awards 2009, click here.
Hughes Safety Showers along with Hughes Notduschen will once again be exhibiting at the A+A Exhibition in Dusseldorf, Germany 3-6 November 2009.
The A+A is the worlds largest and most important specialist trade fair for all areas of health and safety.
A+A 2009 Logo
The exhibition is going to be an exciting opportunity for Hughes, to meet our customers and distributors and to learn more about our competitors in the industry.
The exhibition will also be a great opportunity to showcase our wide range of Emergency Safety Showers and Decontamination equipment. There will also be an excellent chance to promote and demonstrate our new HARD (Emergency Response Shelter) for 2009.
Come visit us on our stand:
Hall: 06 Stand: 6D15
For more information on A+A click here.
Hughes Safety Showers (originally J D Hughes Fabrications Limited) was founded in July 1950 by John D. Hughes M.B.E. a qualified mechanical engineer and father of the present Managing Director Tony Hughes.
Activities included the fabrication of pipe work and pressure vessels along with the erection of pipelines and structural steelwork for the chemical and petrochemical industries.
Whilst working on various sites where chemicals were being manufactured, the company’s employees became aware of an absence of effective Emergency Shower and Eyebath facilities.
The company began designing and developing a range of Emergency Safety Showers and Eyebaths long before any of the current HSE/COSHH requirements or recommendations.
Hard at work on the Hughes Safety Shower factory floor
With the steady increase in demand for such equipment, J D Hughes Fabrications Limited was incorporated in September 1968 specifically to manufacture Emergency Shower and Eyebath Equipment. The company soon became the market leader and for the past forty years has been the largest specialist manufacturer of this type of equipment throughout Europe.
Since taking control of the company in the late seventies, Tony, also a qualified mechanical engineer, has brought his own personal touch and engineering expertise to the company and its products. Under his direction all products have been the subject of continual design and development from both functional and aesthetic aspects.
“Hughes Safety Showers supply all the major companies requiring Emergency Showers and Eyebaths throughout the U.K. as well as exporting to international clients and distributors in most countries worldwide. The global network of distributors and appointed agents ensures that customers can work locally with people who understand their requirements.”
Tony Hughes, Managing Director
The company celebrated its 40th Anniversary in September 2008 and will continue to strive for excellence within the field of Health & Safety.
Celebrating 40 years of Hughes Safety Showers
You can read more on the history of Hughes Safety Showers here and view photos from the company’s 40th Anniversary celebrations.
As well as the latest on new Hughes Safety Showers products & events, we will be offering articles on various Safety standards that impact our company and services.
Understanding the dangers of contracting Legionella
Understanding certain facts about Legionella is essential when selecting and furthermore maintaining emergency safety showers and eyebath/facewash units. Hughes equipment is designed to minimise the risk of Legionella.
Marketing Manager Mike Hall tests one our Eyebaths
“Employers are legally responsible for the health and safety of their employees and have a duty of care to the wider community,” says Tony Hughes, Managing Director of Hughes Safety Showers.
“The penalties for failure can be severe; the consequences can be disastrous and yet the solution is surprisingly simple.”
By understanding certain facts and the features you will be better informed to choose the right equipment.
FACTS – on Legionella
• Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia.
• It occurs more frequently in men than women and usually affects middle-aged or elderly people.
• The bacterium which causes legionnaires’ disease is Legionella pneumophila.
• It mainly lives in water and thrives between 20ºC and 45ºC
• People catch the disease by inhaling small droplets of water suspended in the air that contain the Legionella bacterium.
• Water storage facilities and equipment that uses water are at particular risk.
• Emergency showers and eyebath/facewash equipment should be designed to minimise this risk.
• Good maintenance is essential to avoid Legionella.
FEATURES – of Hughes products to combat Legionella
• pipes can be flushed effectively
• there are no ‘dead legs’ to trap water
• rust sludge cannot build up
• pipe work is galvanised both internally and externally
• nozzles can be easily removed and cleaned
ADVICE – to help reduce the risk of Legionella
• Keep the temperature of static water outside the 20ºC to 45ºC range
• Fit thermostats to heated water tanks to keep water below 20ºC
• Insulate tanks and pipe work to control the temperature and avoid variations
• Fit temperature gauges for an early indication of potential problems
• Only use a portable water supply
• Flush the system every week to reduce the risk of Legionella contamination and confirm that the system is operating correctly
• Dose standing water with chlorine to kill the Legionella bacteria
• Clean shower nozzles regularly
• Replace eyebath diffusers and clean the eyebath filter every six months
Before starting work on our new rigid frame Emergency Response Shelter we did what any manufacturer does – check out the competition. They all had some good points but every one of them had at least one disadvantage.
So our mission was simple. Design a rigid frame shelter with all the good points and none of the drawbacks. Achieving it was a little more difficult – in fact, it took us two years of intensive research and development.
But at last, we’re there.
The new Shelter can be fitted with a variety of interchangeable liners
The result is a unique product and one that’s truly versatile. We say it’s built for professionals by professionals to emphasise its rugged construction.
It’s designed to stand up to the sort of conditions the emergency services face every day but still light enough to carry and erect quickly. The shelter will benefit:
* Police
* Fire
* Ambulance
* NHS
* Coast Guard
* Mountain Rescue
* Military
* Humanitarian Relief
The one-piece anodised aluminium frame means it’s very quick and easy to erect. In fact, you can be fully operational in just 3 minutes.
With no separate components there’s less to think about – and no bits and pieces to lose.
Even the liner remains attached to the frame so when you fold the unit after use the it doesn’t touch the ground. That means less cleaning and less risk of damage.
We’ve developed 4 versions – emergency services, military, humanitarian response and general purpose. The shelter comes in 2 sizes – 8sq metres and 16 sq metres to suite standard floor panels.
If you need more space connect two or more together and if you need something special, come and talk with us and we will build to your specification.
Versatility is the key word.
Use the same frame and outer cover and simply change the removable liner for different applications. Choose from the standard range or we’ll design one specially for you.
The new shelter is a truly universal solution – whatever your requirement:
command and control ▪ casualty holding ▪ first aid ▪ forensic examination ▪ temporary mortuary ▪ storage ▪ garage ▪ rest/recovery area ▪ field hospital ▪ temporary accommodation ▪ field operations/admin ▪ temporary toilets ▪ washing/showering ▪ decontamination ▪ changing facilities
The list goes on and on. It seems that every day we hear of new applications for the shelter, so if you have any ideas, we’d like to hear from you.
Managing Director of Hughes Safety Showers, Tony Hughes blogs on the realities of his other major passion, racing as a member of the G50 Cup Team Champions.
Last year was the debut season for the the Ginetta G50 Championship and I managed to drive in all 10 races.
It was a support race for GT Cars, Formula Ford and Formula 3. This year it takes a step up and becomes a support race for the British Touring Car Championship which attracts 30,000 plus crowds and live TV coverage at circuits such as Brands Hatch, Oulton Park and Silverstone.
Tony started the year well by taking second place in the gruelling Sebring Challenge in Florida
This year, I’ve cut back to 5 drives in the Championship so that I can drive on some of the classic race circuits around the world.
We did Sebring earlier in the year and hopefully have Daytona lined up for November.
Anyone who was at Oulton Park on 31st May or watched the race on TV will know it can get a little hairy.
Quick reactions are vital to keep out of trouble.
For a driver’s view check out the footage from my on board camera. Sit tight, strap yourself in and wait for the action.
Carl Breeze who slewed across the track just after Old Hall Corner ended up with a broken leg but the guy who ran into him, Mark Proctor, broke his back and has decided to retire from racing.
Out of car view of the incident:
Managing Director of Hughes Safety Showers, Tony Hughes blogs about taking up a different kind of challenge…on the race track.
Driving’s always been a passion and fast cars really get the adrenalin pumping.
So I’m glad to report that I didn’t disgrace myself at this years Sebring Endurance Challenge in Florida. Co-driver Christian Dick and I finished 2nd in our class and believe me, not blowing any trumpets, but it was against some pretty strong international competition.
I’ve been driving regularly with the Speedworks Motorsport Team based at Sandbach, and last year we won the Ginetta G50 CupTeam Championship. My car was specially upgraded by Speedworks to compete in the Endurance Challenge which takes place on one of America’s most famous race tracks.
It was a fantastic experience racing against so many top race cars which included a Le Mans winner. At our first attempt we were delighted to be on the winners podium – 2nd in our class and 16th overall out of a field of 65. We also took part in a night race and that was a real test of nerves, hitting over 140mph on the straights.
Tony and Christian take to the winners podium after claiming second place in their class
My car, ‘The Hughes Ginetta G50′ is sponsored by the company.
Final preparation of the two Ginetta G50s
In the emergency shower business we’re obviously focused on safety. On the race track we’re always pushing to go faster but safety is still our number one priority.
The Sebring track is the oldest road course in North America. It’s 3.7 miles long and was originally a World War II training air base for B-17 bombers. Many of the great motor racing legends have driven there including Mario Andretti, Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio as well as show business enthusiasts like Steve McQueen, Gene Hackman and Paul Newman.
Ginetta Cars, the Leeds company that builds the G50, provided us with spares for the trip and Speedworks mechanics, Nick Bailey and Spencer Aldridge came along to make sure the cars performed on the big day.
In fact, the car was so reliable, it ran like a dream. After seven and a half hours of practice laps and intense racing it didn’t require any attention, not even an oil top-up. I reckon that’s pretty good by any standards.
We had a second Ginetta G50 from the team in the Challenge and that was driven by Richard Sykes and co-driver Nick Hull.
It’s great fun racing on some of these famous circuits around the world. I’ve also driven at Le Mans in France and Spa in Belgium as well as some of the top British circuits. Always looking for a new challenge and interested in hearing other people’s experiences as drivers or from the track side.
Hughes Safety Showers have signed a 12-month contract with Scottish NHS to supply our latest generation of emergency response shelters to hospital A&E departments across the country.
Following a CBRN or hazmat incident, the rigid frame shelter can be quickly erected outside a hospital to decontaminate casualties before they are admitted. The aim is to prevent contamination of the hospital, staff and patients.
The new rigid frame shelter fitted out for decontamination
Development of the Hughes Atomizer continues, breaking new ground and exploring new opportunities. The latest version can be used to clean and disinfect the inside of gastight or watertight protective suits. The Atomizer is already used to decontaminate equipment, vehicles and buildings. Now protective suits join the list.
The hand-held spray gun delivers a fine damping mist
In this latest model, the hand-held spray gun is inserted and locked into a Hughes Safety Showers supplied flange fitted into the zip opening of the suit. The light damping spray produced by the Atomizer gun is ideal for treating the internal surfaces and avoids the excessive wetting associated with other cleaning methods. Depending on the type of suit, there is an option to inflate it before introducing the disinfectant.
We have also developed a simple rack to support suits during cleaning. An optional drying system is available in which hot air is piped into the suit for 5-10 minutes to dry the inside.
According to our Atomizer specialist Andy Whitehead, it’s often customers who drive the developments forward by suggesting new applications. So, if you’ve any ideas, you know who to talk to.
Compact and trolley mounted, the Atomizer unit is exceptionally mobile
What do you do when you want to be more than simply a supplier of equipment – in our case emergency showers and eyebath/facewash equipment?
Well, to begin with you can expand the relationship with your customers. Give them support and advice, over and above the product itself. What about legislation and industry standards? Essential if you are going to make the right choices when buying emergency safety showers and eyebath/facewash equipment. Then there’s the practical considerations and the technical issues associated with different types of showers and eyebaths. Staff training is also vitally important.
Our Business Development Manager, Garry O’Hara, is putting his 30+ years industrial experience to good use and helping customers to take advantage of the knowledge and experience we have acquired at Hughes over the past 40 years.
As a result, several water utility companies have already started talking to us about the effects and likely requirements of the new European Standard. It’s the sort of information that could have a direct affect on the type of equipment they install. One has invited Garry to deliver a presentation to specialist staff as part of its Continuing Professional Development programme.
Some companies just want to ‘move boxes’ but we want to do more. We’re obviously in the business of selling safety equipment but we also want to build long term relationships. And, above all, that means building confidence, helping customers to make the right decisions, even if, on occasions, it means they don’t buy from us. Ultimately it’s all about customer satisfaction.
Our continued success, even during the recession, proves that good customer relations are essential. We’re sure plenty of you share our philosophy and are equally successful. It’s just that we never hear from you. Too busy was the cry. Well, perhaps now is the time to speak up and set an example.