Revolutionising Public Health – Resilience to Biological and Pandemic Threats

Pickwick Group partners with SafetySpect

Recently, Greg Luck CEO of Pickwick Group, welcomed CEO and CTO of SafetySpect, Ken Barton and Dr Fartash Vasefi, to Australia. The visit marks the beginning of an exciting partnership between our two companies, whose shared mission to protect people and critical infrastructure is driving much needed innovation across major industry sectors. Addressing clients at venues including the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, ANZAC memorial in Sydney, and Deakin University in Melbourne, Mr Barton and Dr Vasefi presented their revolutionary technology.

Through their demonstrations, SafetySpect addressed important questions brought to the fore in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. While organisations have ramped up their cleaning and sanitisation efforts, how do we know if something is actually clean? Is a visual assessment good enough? How can we measure cleanliness? Are there economically viable solutions for businesses and organisations to ensure sanitation and keep people safe?

The existing landscape

Prior to COVID-19, concerns around antibiotic resistant bacteria, norovirus, and food borne illnesses were on the rise. Presently, the primary approach to assessing cleanliness is visual inspection, however, pathogens like poliovirus, influenza virus, and salmonella have all been known to remain on surfaces, even after typical cleaning procedures. While surfaces may give the appearance of cleanliness, pathogens invisible to the naked eye may still be present. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, in which perceived cleanliness and the measure of actual cleanliness are paramount, visual assessments fall woefully short.

There is demand for solutions to verify sanitation, and some exist, but their economic viability and practicality varies greatly across industries, scales of organisations and scope of use. For example, one of the most widely accepted solutions is swab-based Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence. While available in the market, ATP swab tests are costly and time-consuming. Further, ATP swab tests can only be used for random sampling during cleaning audits and routine testing of all locations becomes prohibitively expensive.

This is where SafetySpect comes in. SafetySpect’s technology provides real-time and reliable detection of harmful contaminants and pathogens at a fraction of the cost of legacy technologies. But what is it? And how does it work?

The CSI solution
Addressing the current unmet need in these markets is SafetySpect’s Contamination and Sanitisation Inspection (CSI) scanner. A world-first, this patented AI technology detects, disinfects, and documents the cleaning process – including biofilms, human saliva and respiratory droplets – all in one compact, hand-held device.

Using fluorescence-based imaging technology, the scanner reveals contaminants invisible to the naked eye, displaying its findings on a screen, or any attached smart displays. The scanner then communicates the findings to a dedicated cloud service, where inspection task lists are assembled, and inspection reports and video/imaging data stored and managed. The cloud service dynamic risk management system uses artificial intelligence to keep track of the risk status of every location requiring sanitisation. It adjusts risk levels based on frequency of use, physical properties, proximity to contamination sources, sanitisation history, and local risk profiles. The AI algorithm constantly interprets data obtained through the scanner, using it to automatically identify spot vulnerabilities, bottlenecks and compliance shortfalls.

How it works

Put simply, the CSI solution performs the following:

Detect

• Scan surfaces with light
• Illuminate harmful organisms
• Analyse video scans
• Locate invisible contaminants
• Highlight what needs cleaning
• Colour-code identified threats

Document

• Create incident reports
• Manage regulatory compliance
• Mitigate risks and liabilities
• Provide scientific proof of cleanliness
• Automate internal audits

Verify

• Generate AI dynamic risk assessment
• Ensure SSOP compliance
• Easily integrate with SSOPs
• Customise risk response
• Supply efficient safety verification
• Provide immediate remediation

SafetySpect also has a range of CSI scanners. The CSI-D+ has the added feature of disinfecting surfaces – neutralising contaminants as they’re identified. CSI-D+ scanners disinfect surfaces in seconds, using a proprietary UV light system with smart sensors to ensure user safety. These scanners provide immediate remediation, and are particularly useful in high-risk environments, such as various hospital settings.

“SafetySpect envisions a new worldwide standard of cleanliness monitoring and resilience to biological and pandemic threats. Our technology mitigates risk by providing evidence of adherence to sanitation protocols that are beyond industry standards in each and every area we serve.”

 Kenneth Barton, CEO of SafetySpect

Example application – healthcare

Each year in Australia, an estimated 165,000 patients will contract healthcare associated infections (HAIs). HAIs are the most common complication affecting patients in hospitals, and are associated with increased morbidity and mortality, increased length of stay, increased resistance to antimicrobials and additional health expenses. The cost is too high when you consider most HAIs are potentially preventable adverse events, rather than unpredictable health complications. CSI scanners offer healthcare organisations a viable solution for monitoring sanitation, particularly across high touch-point areas, and lowering the risk of HAIs. For high-risk areas, where immediate remediation is required, CSI-D+ offers not only instant detection but sanitisation too, using UVC light to immediately neutralise harmful contaminants.

Successful trials of CSI technology within assisted long term care facilities have demonstrated its value within the sector. Within one facility, sanitation auditing was conducted across the main dining area, kitchen, and a resident’s apartment. High touch-point areas were inspected, as when these surfaces are not properly disinfected, residue can remain, creating a risk of contamination between uses. A prep cart was shown to have contamination on it when examined with the scanner, despite there being no visible residue upon visual inspection. A washed chopping board in the kitchen was also found to have contamination on it, as were cupboard handles, and a resident’s walker. After proper disinfection of these surfaces, the scanners showed no contamination, demonstrating how quick and effective sanitation remediation is with CSI technology. Click here to see the scanner in action.

Disrupting the market

CSI technology is a game-changer for the cleaning and facilities management sector; but its implications and applications for industries including healthcare, assisted living, meat and food processing, aviation, hospitality, and retail, shouldn’t be underestimated.

CSI technology not only detects and highlights harmful pathogens, but documents findings for proof of cleanliness, and provides efficient safety verification for risk assessments and compliance purposes. Use case trials for clients across Australia and New Zealand will commence in early in 2023.

“We’re focused on protecting critical infrastructure and people. This ground-breaking technology will revolutionise the industry and aims to address the gap on sanitation standards, at scale and at a level beyond current best practice.”

Greg Luck, CEO Pickwick Group

If you’d like to know more, contact us today via our website at: https://www.pickwickgroup.com.au/contact/

If you would like to learn more about SafetySpect’s technology, visit: https://safetyspect.com