“What’s the gimmick behind safety eyewear for myopic users?”, “What injuries can new hi-tech gloves protect from?”, “How can PPE register long smoke breaks?” Dozens of questions, discussions and exchange of contact details was a normal routine at the innovative booth of UVEX at the XXI Labor Safety Show BIOT which was held in All-Russia Exhibition Center in Moscow in mid-December 2017. This German developing and manufacturing company showed a wide range of modern PPE that fully met all the requirements of Russian standards.

UVEX booth was arranged in a new design concept. The central element of the exhibition was the company’s innovations in the field of safety equipment — the UVEX i-gonomics product range. This range represents supreme functionality of PPE in tandem with first-class wearer comfort. For the first time this range was presented at A+A 2015 and caused great interest of the public and at A+A 2017 the upgraded version of the range repeated its success there.

For the convenience of visitors, a separate demonstration stand with a touch screen was installed at the UVEX booth. With its help people could learn the advantages of lenses for prescription safety eyewear of the highest German quality assembled in Russia.

Eye protection 2 in 1

Prescription safety eyewear from UVEX is a real find for workers who have eyesight problems. By the way, since May 2016 these products have been manufactured in Russia. Since UVEX and the Ekaterinburg Company «Glasses for You» have launched a joint production, the cost and lead-time of this type PPE were halved.

Prescription safety glasses not only correct vision but also provide a reliable protection against impact of flying particles. UVEX makes sure that they are also pleasant to wear. The Company provides its customers with a choice of smart frames in different designs.

«Prescription safety eyewear is in good demand in Russia. We consider this line of products to be very promising and plan to expand the range. The Russian market today cannot boast of many offers in this field. But we can supply our customers with prescription safety eyewear of the highest German quality, and even with a choice of designer frames,” says Maxim Malafeevsky.

At BIOT 2017 Show visitors of UVEX booth got handed out coupons giving them a 15 per cent discount for prescription safety eyewear as a part of promotion campaign.

Super Lightweight Eye Protection

Another novelty for the Russian market from UVEX presented at BIOT 2017 Show was UVEX pheos cx2 sonic goggles. These all-round functional wide-vision goggles offer high mechanical strength and impressive comfort. Besides, these goggles are the lightest wide-vision goggles in the UVEX range (weighing only 34 g). They have scratch-proof exterior and permanently anti-fog interior. Thanks to comfortable soft forehead and nose piece and light textile headband they can be worn throughout the whole working day.

German Helmets from the Russian Manufacturer

White, blue and red helmets of the Russian flag colors and of the highest German quality is another exhibit in the UVEX booth with the label «Made in Russia». The contract between «Burevestnik» plant (town of Gatchina) and UVEX GROUP was signed in 2015. The serial production of the safety helmets counting about 300,000 pieces per year is carried out in German molding tools from high-strength imported raw materials.

All the components of the Super Boss 9752 helmet offer most reliable protection. The helmet meets additional requirements for very low and high temperatures in the range from -50 to +50°C, has electric insulation of up to 440 V and provides good shock absorption. Its low weight (only 370 g) ensures optimum comfort for the wearer. Super Boss has slots for mounting visors and earmuffs.

The helmet complies with all EU norms as well as Russian GOST EN 397-2012. By the way, the color choice is not limited to the palette of the Russian tricolor. It can be discussed with the customers individually.

«The Company plans to expand its product range.»Burevestnik» plant will soon start producing another helmet model — uvex pheos «, says Maxim Malafeevsky.“It offers unprecedented wearer comfort thanks to the ventilation system and new adjustable headband. Three air vents provide optimum climate control inside the helmet. The helmet also provides protection against lateral deformation”.  

The Company’s PPE range produced in Russia is not limited to helmets and safety prescription eyewear. It also includes some safety eyewear models that have become popular with Russian workers such as: uvex pheos, uvex i-vo, uvex skylite and uvex skyper. This year a further expansion of the range is planned.

HexArmor® gloves — for the First Time in Russia

Cold weather resistant, waterproof, heat resistant, puncture and cut resistant, impact resistant and coated for a firm grip. These are the features of safety gloves that UVEX can offer after concluding a strategic partnership with HexArmor Company (USA).

Today more than 100 different models of gloves are available. A separate segment of the booth was dedicated to these innovative gloves. Until now this high-tech range of gloves with modern design and multiple features was presented by UVEX only to the European public. So the BIOT 2017 visitors were among the first to get acquainted with this novelty on the Russian PPE market.

A special pride of the company is the innovative line of gloves manufactured with SuperFabric® technology. SuperFabric® is created with a base fabric such as nylon, polyester, neoprene, crepe, etc. and is overlaid with tiny, hard guard plates in a specific pattern. This guard plate technology protects the base fabric and contributes to the durability of the material. These gloves by far exceed traditional fiber gloves in quality and protection.

Numerous independent tests for cut and puncture resistance performed in the USA and Europe showed that SuperFabric® by far exceeds all standard requirements. High abrasion resistance, flexibility and breathability make the gloves indispensable and reliable in all sorts of jobs.

The Future has come

The future as predicted by science fiction writers has already come! We can say that with confidence regarding the new products that UVEX has developed and which Russian public has not yet seen! Most of them are not even produced serially but only being tested.

These are the so-called «smart» PPE, about which Getsiz wrote in November 2017:  UVEX Techwеar line. Now all PPE from ear plugs to safety shoes and workwear UVEX designers are trying to fit out with electronic devices.

High-tech eyewear, for example, can «follow» an employee and inform his or her boss about the time he or she spends on smoke breaks. A worker can see messages, directions and new tasks of the management on the display integrated in the same eyewear. Or the «smart» helmet equipped with sensors can promptly report a fall of a worker; control the temperature, humidity, noise and brightness levels and so on. And experimental UVEX safety footwear looks more like innovative sports outfit than industrial safety boots. UVEX believes that the PPE of the future should be able not only to protect an employee from the lurking hazards at workplace, but also prevent the long-term consequences in the form of occupational diseases.

As soon as experimental prototypes show their viability and relevance during tests, they will be launched into batch production and after that will appear on the international market including Russia.

Based on the results of BIOT 2017 and A+A 2017 Shows one can confidently say that UVEX perfectly copes with the key requirements and challenges of the modern PPE market: maximum safety, optimum comfort and attractive design. And a new vision of PPE is aimed at turning safety equipment into protective, measuring and analytical complex devices.