Industry News

NORMA Group has donated 500 face shields to the medical staff of St Vinzenz Hospital in Hanau, Germany. The NORMA Face Shield protects the wearer’s eye area against droplets and splashes of liquids. Worn in addition to mouth and nose protection, it further reduces the risk of droplet infection.

Alexander Olbrich, who is responsible for NORMA Group’s EMEA business, commented: “I am pleased that we are able to make a small contribution to ensuring the medical staff of St Vinzenz Hospital can perform their invaluable work safely and securely.”

When the shields were handed over to the hospital, Nursing Director Jutta Berg and Hygiene Specialist Ankica Scheidel reported on the challenges of everyday nursing care under pandemic conditions. “The current times are very challenging for all of our employees. We are very grateful for the face shields, which you hardly even notice when wearing them and which are worn in addition to mouth and nose protection.”

NORMA Group developed the face shield in the spring of 2020. The initiative came from R&D Engineer Hannes Clasen, who normally develops new products for e-mobility at NORMA Group. “In light of the corona crisis, we as a company wanted to use our in-house expertise to help overcome the pandemic,” explained Hannes Clasen. “Face covers, even for medical personnel, were extremely rare at the time. Since moulded parts for face shields can be manufactured very quickly and efficiently using injection moulding, we decided to do so.” Development from the first prototype to the final product was completed in only four weeks.

The NORMA Face Shield is licensed as personal protective equipment. It consists of an ergonomically shaped plastic frame and a foil that is clamped into the frame. The polycarbonate film, which is impenetrable for liquids, provides very good viewing for the person wearing it. NORMA Group uses high-quality plastic for the frame that is certified according to the VDI guidelines for medical products, so-called ‘Medical Grade Plastics’.