New Device Can Keep Track of Your Organization’s Phone Hygiene Habits

Good hand hygiene is paramount to not getting sick. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 80% of infections are transmitted through hands. However, mobile devices have certainly disrupted the effectiveness of people’s handwashing routines. Previously, if you washed your hands frequently you were doing a fairly adequate amount to prevent sickness. But with people touching their phones to the point where they’ve basically become an extension of our hands, these new factors need to be accounted for.

There is a new device from Seal Shield called the ElectroClave that has provided the most comprehensive mobile device disinfection solution out there today. It is the only product that can provide a full 360-degree disinfection of your mobile device and it does so in a capacity that can eliminate 99.9999% of bacteria on your mobile device in only a couple of minutes. It achieves this by utilizing filtration media to prevent dust and particulates from entering the bays in order to maximize efficacy by eliminating shadowing. Additionally, the disinfection bays are constructed of quartz to ensure the shelf the mobile device is placed on isn’t shielding any of the UV-C light.

Now this is great, but far too many of us have bought a StairMaster for Christmas only to stop using by February. And if a small amount of unhygienic people can disrupt all of an organization’s efforts to maintain good hand hygiene, then measures have to be taken to ensure the device is actually being used. With the ElectroClave, you don’t have to worry about this. It actually keeps track of everyone’s mobile devices and can take into account when each person has last disinfected their phone or tablet, even going so far as sending email or text message reminders that their phone is due for a disinfection cycle. An organization can easily see who’s disinfecting their phone and when and can make sure that everybody is following proper protocol.

For those who have security concerns about such a device, the ElectroClave is essentially a bank vault that also disinfects your phone. Its premium security features allow for secure non-touch access with NFC employee badges and tracking of every time the box was opened as well as who opened it.RFID tracking also allows for you to be able where your phone or tablet is at all times. To put it simply, your property will be safe.

In healthcare, this advanced form of disinfection can be a total game-changer. Hospitals have a serious problem when it comes to preventing infections. It’s bad enough that people are touching their dirty mobile devices and undoing massive efforts to maintain a clean work environment for both the people who work there and the patients. But to have people who are coming in contact with infectious diseases then spreading them through their mobile devices is a total nightmare.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1.7 million people a year are developing healthcare-acquired infections, leading to almost 100,000 annual deaths. The cost of this to hospitals is in the tens of billions. This is not just a petty issue, it’s a crisis. The ElectroClave was developed with an advisory council made of members from key organizations like Johns Hopkins, Yale New Haven and the H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center so that it could be a solution that specifically fits healthcare’s more extensive infection prevention needs.

However, healthcare isn’t the only industry that needs to worry about hand hygiene. And they’re certainly not the only industry that has been affected by the prevalence of mobile devices. Popular chain restaurants have adopted touch screens as a way to reduce labor costs and improve efficiency. Not to mention virtually every single person that is touching food also owns a mobile device that they are likely touching every so often.

Dr. Paul Matewele, a senior lecturer in microbiology at London Metropolitan University had to say on the matter “We were all surprised how much gut and fecal bacteria there was on the [restaurant] touchscreen machines. These cause the kind of infections that people pick up in hospitals. For instance, Enterococcus faecalis is part of the flora of gastrointestinal tracts of healthy humans and other mammals. It is notorious in hospitals for causing hospital-acquired infections.”

This is particularly alarming considering that it’s the food industry, but really every industry that uses mobile devices, particularly ones that are shared between multiple people need to make hand hygiene a priority. Each organization has its own needs and specific solutions that are better suited to tackle them. The ElectroClave UV disinfection box can be an effective solution for many and is worth looking into.

Develop a Salon App That Will Transform Your Business

This is the reason, there are numerous business owners who choose to develop beauty and salon applications. Following are the points that justify the statement of “Developing an app can help or transform the salon business ”

The wellness industry is well known for its poor management. People often can be seen sitting in the queue waiting for their turn to get the services. But a managing software can easily create a list of all the calls and booking appointments which sometimes was messed up by using a manual system.

Salon App development helps to increase brand awareness. Around 82 % of people are using different mobile apps on their smartphones. The online solution helps the owners in taking their business to such a huge no. of people present online. In short, these online options increase the visibility of the brand among mobile users.

Less availability of options- As per specialist working in the salons “Earlier, customers usually ask them about certain hairstyles, skin treatments, etc. But online mobile options have efficiently solved this issue. As now there are numerous pictures available on the online solution including different hairstyles, makeups, etc done by us or our colleagues. So, customers have the option to easily check and what suits them more and choose quickly.”

A lot of features also help the salon owners to grow in the market. How they are used is a crucial thing. It is better to consult the professional salon app development company.

Overcoming ESD in Electronics Production Areas

Electro-Static Discharge (ESD) is an invisible menace that lurks inside your electronics production areas, including zones dedicated to Research and Development, Manufacturing, Testing and Storage. Very simply, ESD is damage caused to electronic assemblies by high-potential static electricity that collects on the artefacts, including people in the area. As the name suggests, ESD is static i.e. it lacks current flow and remains in place for a long time, until the build-up discharges into another body or device.

ESD has always been around. However, this naturally occurring phenomenon came into broad focus with advent of increasingly miniature and complex electronic components. For a layperson, the common idea of ESD could range from seeing dramatic lightning in a thunderstorm to feeling a small shock when they touch metal after a drive in the car. By contrast, the ESD that we are discussing is invisible and omnipresent, and yet, it can cause widespread havoc in electronic assemblies without any apparent physical manifestation.

ESD can damage and destroy intricate construction of today’s miniature electronic components. Miniaturization packs integrated circuits in smaller spaces while using less semiconductor material and smaller on-chip protective devices. All these factors make modern electronic devices ever more vulnerable to damage by ESD.

ESD Prevention and ESD Protection are vital to improving reliability and reducing defects in today’s electronics manufacturing facility.

Causes of ESD

Static electricity is a result of several processes:

Tribocharging: This phenomenon occurs on separation of insulating materials that were previously in contact. Example of this effect is a person walking with insulating shoes on a rug or brushing dry hair with a plastic brush.
Electrostatic Induction: This induction occurs when an electrically charged object is in proximity with a conductive object that is isolated from the ground. For example, plastic items with charged surfaces can result in ESD on sensitive components.
Result of ESD Damage

ESD causes large currents dissipating through the component, taking the lowest impedance path to ground for equalizing potentials. The current may go through the semiconductor in the integrated circuit, causing local hot spots that damage the junctions and breakdown the structure.

ESD can cause permanent damage to the electronic components, where they stop working completely. This type of damage is relatively easy to segregate during testing, as the product just does not work as intended.
Even worse, ESD can also result in latent damage that weakens the electronic device resulting in intermediate faults or complete failure at a later stage. This type of damage is very difficult to detect during testing and subsequently rectify before dispatch.
Apart from causing varying degrees of inconveniences to the customer, failure of an electronic item in the field results in loss of reputation, warranty costs, replacement costs and legal liabilities. Industry estimate mention 8% to 33% losses as a direct result of ESD damage. Thus, ESD imposes an unacceptably high cost to the bottom-line and addressing the issues is imperative for any professional organization.

Controlling ESD:

The good news is that ESD prevention and control is easy and sustainable.

Here are some common strategies and methods to overcoming ESD in your electronic assembly area:

Planning and Procedures:

Create ESD Protected Area (EPA)
This clearly demarcated area has several ESD protection devices to eliminate any static build-up. For demarcation, the area has clear signage as well as decals.

Implement Access Control
The area has access control ensuring that only trained and properly protected personnel enter this demarcated space. Since people can walk into the EPA with static charge on their bodies, a suitable anti-ESD mat or grounding plate at the access point could help dissipate build-up prior to entry.

Follow Protocols
ESD protection in EPA’s follow internationally recognized protocols. These protocols take into cognizance the type of electronic product handled in this area and its ability to withstand ESD. Standards such as ANSI/ESD S20.20 and IEC 61340-5-1 explain the ESD protection in EPA’s.

Nominate an ESD Champion
Implement human leadership by nominating a responsible person in your organization as an “ESD Champion.”

The ESD Champion will:

Coordinate the various technical efforts and people participation to create an ESD-free area used for handling electronic assemblies.
Design and implement plans for ensuring ESD controls at a systemic level.
Testing of ESD Implements
Anti-ESD processes depend on the connections and apparels working correctly.

Devise a continuous testing program to ensure that the anti-static shoes, straps, clothes, surfaces, furniture, etc. are doing their job.
Check the efficacy of grounding/earthing systems. Failure of connections, wires, earthing pits, etc. could defeat the ESD protections implemented in an EPA.
Use ESD monitoring equipment for a real-time check on all the ESD safe items.
Conduct periodic testing of workstations, chairs, flooring, trolleys and racks.
Note any deviation from the standard and take corrective measures immediately.
Develop a Training Plan
Develop a training plan to educate personnel on handling of ESD sensitive items. This training improves awareness of the anti-ESD precautions required in an EPA.
Train all personnel who are directly or indirectly in contact with the ESD sensitive products to increase their awareness of the ESD phenomenon.
Ensure Good Grounding/Earthing Practices

A healthy grounding or earthing connection ensures that all implements and surfaces maintain identical potentials. This eliminates any formation of static electricity by draining the charge to earth through the easiest path – the grounding or earthing system.

Use ESD-Safe Products:

Wide varieties of ESD-Safe products are available for fighting static electricity in EPA areas. These include:

Wrist Straps
ESD-safe wrist strap ground personnel working on the sensitive electronic assemblies and discharge any static build-up on their bodies. The wrist strap is especially important if the personnel use non-ESD qualified furniture.

The wrist strap provides a conductive path from the person to the EPA’s earth potential through a flexible grounding cord. While the straps may appear in good shape, they are susceptible to frequent failures. To avoid an inadvertent collection of ESD, test the straps on a regular basis.

Flooring/Footwear
Walking on a regular surface wearing shoes with insulating soles could build-up considerable amount of static charge. In areas that require personnel’s mobility, use ESD-safe footwear and ESD-safe flooring to prevent static from building-up. This flooring and footwear, made from special material, conduct static to ground and effectively prevent ESD to personnel working in an EPA.

In addition, ESD-safe flooring provides a common ground path to special ESD-safe equipment such as chairs, workstations, material-handling equipment like the trolleys, whose special wheels conduct static build-up to the floor.

Clothing
Fabric and other clothing generate electro-static charges. As clothing is usually insulative, the accumulated surface charge does not discharge through body to the ground. Personnel working in EPA’s and Clean Rooms must wear ESD-safe clothing.

ESD standard ANSI/ESD S20.20 and garment standard ANSI/ESD STM2.1 define 3 categories of ESD-safe clothing, of which you could choose the one suitable for your requirements.

ESD-Safe Furniture
Several varieties of ESD-safe furniture like workstations and chairs are available in the market. However, most of them do not consistently deliver the specified ESD range, especially after wear and tear of regular use.

Desirable Characteristics of ESD-Safe Furniture:

Follows ESD Standards ANSI/ESD S20.20-2014 and IEC 61340.
Allows uniform elimination of ESD charge using dissipative surfaces with discharge path to ground within a specific duration.
Uses new generation material with Volume ESD protection.
Volume ESD material ensures that surfaces such as the tabletop of the workstation and seat/backrest of the chair, uses material that is certified ESD-safe, even when tested at a particulate level.
Volume ESD material ensures that the ESD protection remains constant over the lifetime of the workstation/chair, despite wear and tear of usage.
Even damage, cuts and nicks to the surface will not reduce the anti-static protection of the Volume ESD material.
Ensures proper grounding of the workstation. For chairs, grounding should be through the ESD-safe castors and not using an unreliable chain dangling from the chair’s base that is connected to ground potential.
Ensures that ESD-safe workstation and chairs do not generate any charge by themselves.
Ensures that the ESD safe workstation and chairs do not generate any electromagnetic fields or electromagnetic interference.
Ensures good design practices in design and manufacture.
ESD-safe workstation should be ergonomic, modular, lightweight and easily customizable.
The furniture should meet all future expansions needs without requiring drastic changes.
Ensures ergonomic placement of all electrical components, instruments and computer peripherals. This placement enables maximum work surface, while ensuring easy accessibility to frequently required implements.
Provides ergonomic design that allows the user to sit comfortably for long hours without fatigue. This scientifically designed comfort helps in improving concentration and enhancing productivity.
Provides inbuilt cable chambers ensuring a neat and clean workspace.
Provides peace of mind.
The workstation and the chairs are covered by a comprehensive warranty against manufacturing defects as well for ESD-safe properties.
ESD-Safe Tools

The EPA must be equipped with ESD safe tools. ESD sensitive component should be handled only with ESD safe tools. The tools must not collect static charges that may discharge into the electronic components.

Air Ionizers

Some elements in EPA cannot be rendered ESD-safe as they are isolated or they cannot be grounded. These include insulative materials like common plastics. Air ionizers help mitigate static collection on such elements.

Air ionizers neutralize the static charge on insulative or isolated objects by releasing an equal amount of positive and negative charges in the air. Any charge present on the body attracts the opposite charge and gets neutralized.

However, ionization is not a substitute for grounding. The technique should be used to eliminate the static charges when no other grounding options are available.

ESD-Safe Material Handling and Storage Products

ESD Safe Racks
Storage of ESD sensitive components is a critical aspect of an efficient EPA. Storage methods are often overlooked and that lapse could result in ESD related failure. An EPA should have ESD-safe storage racks and cabinets.

ESD Safe Trolley
ESD sensitive material can get damaged by electro-static charge generated by the friction of wheels on a regular trolley. The EPA should have ESD-safe trolleys for transporting components within the EPA. Critical parts of these trolleys, including the wheels, are constructed with ESD-safe materials.

ESD Safe Storage Bins
ESD sensitive items such as circuit boards, semiconductor and electronics components should be stored in ESD-safe storage bins. During work, these bins can attach on the workstation for holding components. During transportation within the EPA, these bins can be kept on trolleys and racks.

ESD safe packaging

ESD sensitive components should be stored in ESD-safe packaging. This storage should be implemented not just in the EPA but throughout the company premises.

These shielding bags should have a special ESD warning sticker.

Multiple types of ESD packaging exist. Of these, the pink colored poly products have anti-static properties that degrade with age. Hence, use these pink poly products only for temporary packaging.

Summary

Messung Group is pioneers of the Indian Industrial Automation industry. With long and diverse experience in handling of electronic products, Messung Group now offers complete solutions to all your ESD problems.

Messung in association with Erfi GmbH launches German designed and manufactured equipment such as: Ergonomic Workstations, ESD-safe Worktables, Test and Measuring Devices, etc. These are tailor-made for R&D Centers, Testing Labs, Manufacturing Departments, Training Divisions and more.

At Messung, our objective is to deliver solutions to the electronic manufacturing industry. Our commitment is to bring innovative technologies into the Indian market.

How Labor Management Systems (LMS) Improve Warehouse Productivity

With labor costs allocating between 30%-60% of a distribution facilities’ budget, it’s no wonder businesses look to Labor Management Systems (LMS) after implementing a Warehouse Manufacturing System (WMS). Fortunately, LMS and WMS work together to provide insightful data pertaining to the labor force.

To better manage human resources within warehouse operations, one can examine LMS through the lens of the following 6 key areas:

Labor Standards per Operation:
Traditionally, labor standards have been provided by engineers and time studies – which is often costly and time-consuming. On the other hand, newer LM solutions calculate these standards by using historical data, eliminating the expense, and decreasing installation time.

Employee Performance:
Transactional history helps the LM solution identify top performers and highlights employees who could benefit from additional training. From there, management can reward top employees for their achievements.

Direct Labor:
Direct labor is the time normally tracked through transactional data which reveals data on employee productivity, or the complexity of a given operation.

Indirect Time:
Indirect time is the time employees spend on tasks unrelated to production. For a warehouse employee, an example might be the amount of time spent charging a lift. A well-performing LM system will offer an alternative method to capture indirect time. One popular method is provided in the form of a user start/stop entry on a tablet or mobile device.

Missing Time:
Missing time is the time that the employee is paid for vs. the time tracked in either direct or indirect labor (and this can get costly!). In fact, it is estimated that only 50%-80% of an employee’s time is direct labor. The remaining time is either indirect or missing. To ensure ROI is achieved, LM systems will typically address the missing time issue first. For companies that do not track missing time, you will probably see 1 hour per day per employee on average. This means that on an 8-hour shift, 12.5% of the time is left unaccounted for. If indirect time is not logged, you can see how this can quickly grow to a number like 30%-50%, making it extremely difficult to understand true costs.

Cost to Serve:
Engineered Labor Standards focus on a specific standard for a process, whereas “Cost to Serve” takes a holistic approach to obtain your labor costs for customer, employee, process, and product.

The most common method to calculate “Cost to Serve” is as follows:

Cost per Standard Process * Average Transaction Volume= Cost to Serve

This calculation technique can be useful but is dependent upon the accuracy of the engineered standard and the ability of the employee to be consistent with that standard. A robust LMS can help elaborate on this calculation with much more precision. By allowing for multiple sources – such as Warehouse Management System, Transportation Management Systems (TMS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Materials Resource Planning (MRP), Time Clocks, and telematics – the system can create a cost and performance model to give you “Cost to Serve” results according to customer, employee, process, and product.