Sunshine Coast business ShieldLabs develops first face shield to safeguard health staff during Covid-19
A Sunshine Coast business has come up with a simple solution to protect anaesthetists from Covid-19. Find out what it is.
Business
Don't miss out on the headlines from Business. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Personal protection equipment (PPE) company ShieldLabs kickstarted its operations in response to the Covid-19 pandemic to develop a face shield to safeguard anaesthetists during an intubation procedure.
Warana-based ShieldLabs’ co-founder Craig Josic said no other face shield had been developed with this specific purpose in mind, and the pandemic shed light on how important it was.
“As a benefit, the ShieldLabs face shield is well suited to many other applications within a Work Health and Safety (WHS) Covid Plan,” Mr Josic said.
Mr Josic said a study showed 19 per cent of healthcare workers became infected with Covid-19, despite wearing three-layered surgical masks, gloves, and shoe covers and using alcohol rub.
“But after the introduction of face shields, no worker was infected,” he said.
Mr Josic said the company was focused on developing, sourcing materials for and making the important face shield protection equipment in Australia.
“The pandemic has taught us that we can’t rely on overseas suppliers and materials for such important things,” he said.
“Our mission is to bring Australian companies together to solve problems and create unique products.
“Collaboration is the new competition and we all need to come together to support Australian made.”
ShieldLabs started out connecting at Sunshine Coast maker space, Silicon Coast and in collaboration with local hospitals and health services providers.
The company also joined healthtech accelerator program, Sunramp, a joint venture of Sunshine Coast Council and Advance Queensland.
“The Sunramp program is aimed at supporting homegrown entrepreneurs on the Coast to work on innovative and tech-based solutions to address global health concerns,” Mr Josic said.
“Our plan now is to continue to expand our range to meet the needs of health professionals and, specifically, to protect them.”
Shield labs has been nominated for the 2021 Australia Day Awards and has forged a national partnership with The Paramedic Shop.
“We need to look after the wellbeing of our frontline health workers and we need to create those opportunities within Australia,” Mr Josic said.
“Australian Made is possible and it can actually lead to higher-quality and more-affordable options.”
Originally published as Sunshine Coast business ShieldLabs develops first face shield to safeguard health staff during Covid-19
How ‘dumb luck’ launched a $1 trillion opportunity
Stonepeak founder Mike Dorrell was in the right place at the right time. But the highly sought after fund manager is rewriting the rules on infrastructure.
Music fest, 100km run: Participants set to swelter as events ramp up
With a scorching 34 degrees forecast and a chance of rain predicted, people going to the much-loved Big Pineapple festival and athletes competing in the Blackall100 should prepare for anything.
Can Nine really change its shocking ways?
There is little confidence the same board that fundamentally allowed an appalling corporate culture and poor leadership to thrive, can also fix it.
Battle lines drawn over TAFE, safety upgrades for roads pitched
With less than two weeks to go before election day, Labor has drawn line in the sand over the Nambour TAFE while the LNP goes on the attack about roads in Cooroy and Palmwoods.
Developer set for court clash with council over supermarket rejection
A developer will take Sunshine Coast council to court after his application to build a suburb’s first supermarket was rejected despite desperate pleas from residents to give it the tick.
WiseTech’s board confronts tough choices with White
The billionaire founder of WiseTech Global, Richard White, has the backing of his board but there are active discussions about the chief executive taking leave from the tech major.