Barrier Isolators Health and Safety awareness and Reducing Risk

The Standard Group of Companies is a leading supplier of equipment in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry.

A key part of the portfolio is barrier isolators which have pivotal importance in these manufacturing sectors.

Barrier isolator primary functions are to protect the environment, protect process media and protect employees who are using them.

When using a barrier isolator, health and safety awareness is extremely important as not staying alert and incorrectly following procedures / guidance can lead to serious injury.

With any supplier of equipment, safety should always be the number one priority, so when supplying a barrier isolator, a full and comprehensive risk assessment should always be provided.

A correct risk assessment should be clear and pay detail to the 5 key steps: -

• Identify the hazards
• Decide who can be harmed and how
• Assess the risks and take action
• Record findings
• Review findings timely

Schematic Engineering Industries who manufacture barrier isolators, always provide an appropriate risk assessment for standard and bespoke equipment.

When the equipment is installed, Standard Operation Procedures (SOP’s) must be created and then followed strictly after a rigorous training program has been completed.

Additional factors that should be considered: -

• Nothing should be brought into the barrier isolator when it has been exposed to solvent and hazardous solutions and the barrier isolator must be cleaned and decontaminated before it is used again.
• Nothing should be placed in the barrier isolator whilst it is purging.
• When the cycle is complete the chamber should be backfilled with N2 and turned to the off position.
• When the product / process media is placed inside the barrier isolator, the door should be immediately sealed and the chamber should be left under the correct pressure (+VE or -VE) of N2 depending on the barrier isolator operation.

Barrier isolators and “balances”: -

Balances are sensitive pieces of equipment and if they are not level will provide an inaccurate result.

Therefore, when using balances: -

• Do not move the balance after a stable accurate process has been established
• Ensure all balances have up to date calibration records

Liquids and glass when using a barrier isolator: -

Open solvent bottles should be avoided in all pharmaceutical applications, especially inside a barrier isolator because this should be a closed system.

The atmosphere saturates in solvent vapours which will lead to the catalyst bed becoming saturated in these vapours, which will result in a shorter bed lifespan.

Needles and serums when using a barrier isolator: -

Needles penetrate most substances quite easily and are the largest hazard to the glove ports.

When using a septum with a needle and the process is drying under vacuum, only push the needle partially into the septum, as this will reduce the possibility of glove punctures.

The Standard Group of Companies will support all clients with the installation, commissioning and training when purchasing all types of barrier isolator.

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