Electrical safety testing for MoD medical devices

Fifty units are being supplied as part of a deal, which will see Rigel providing training and support to MoD trainers who will be instructing army, navy and air force technicians on how to use the testers properly in military theatres of operation, including Afghanistan.

The 288 hand-held devices will be used in conjunction with existing testers, providing a mobile option.

Using the testers, technicians will be able to reduce the time taken to conduct electrical safety checks on devices and equipment used at the military healthcare facilities, using the barcode facility that is available with the tester.

It is light and portable, and the integrated barcode reader and printer means equipment can be identified and records recalled quickly.

The kit will reduce the time taken to test the electrical safety and operation of a range of medical devices and equipment used in hospitals, operating theatres and other facilities.

It offers a flexible and accurate solution for testing devices for electrical safety to appropriate standards and guidelines, including IEC 62353 IEC/EN60601-1, VDE 0751-1, AS/NZS 3551, AAMI, NFPA-99 and MDA DB 9801-2006.

A Bluetooth barcode scanner enables devices and equipment to be quickly and easily identified, while test results can be stored within the Rigel 288 safety analyser and printed wirelessly to the rugged battery-operated Elite Test n Tag printer.

Traceability is improved as information can be downloaded into Med-eBase asset-management software.

This enables the user to store and manage test results, email html test certificates to clients and schedule new work orders that can then be fully uploaded into a large onboard memory.

The compact, lightweight design and long-life battery power of the Rigel 288 reduces downtime between tests.

It features menu-driven instructions for ease of operation and test control of all required electrical safety tests in manual, semi-automatic or fully automatic test modes.

Users also have the facility to select from a range of preset test programs or develop their own customised routines.

A large internal memory facilitates the storage of test results for safety audit and traceability purposes.

As well as storing the results of electrical tests, there is also the ability to record user-defined inspections and measurements from other equipment, such as SpO2, NIBP, ECG and other electro-medical patient equipment.

The kit comes in a hard-wearing, impact- and water-resistant Pelican carry case featuring dedicated foam inserts to safely hold the instrumentation in place and provide optimum protection during transportation.