Team Ineos UK turns its attention from hulls to health in fight against coronavirus

In response to the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), engineers more used to designing boats have turned their skills to designing a reuseable mask to support NHS workers.

The team confirmed it was ‘using a 3D printer at our base in Portsmouth to manufacture the masks which will then be distributed to local surgeries’. Once fully operational the team plan to distribute 100 masks each week.

Specialist equipment normally used to protect workers manufacturing the latest Amerca’s Cup boats has been sent to Horndean Surgery to help protect critical workers.

A team statement said: ‘We have worked with our supplier, DTC Tools, to provide PPE equipment including respirators, gloves and safety goggles to our local surgery in Horndean.’

After receiving the potentially life saving equipment the surgery posted a message on Facebook which said: ‘A big thank you to the Ineos Team UK for supplying Horndean Surgery with a large number of PPE ( Personal Protective Equipment). This will keep the Horndean team and the public safe . Very much appreciated.’

Team sponsors, Ineos, have already shown their national commitment to fight the dangerous disease by constructing a hand sanitiser factory in just 10 days at Newton Aycliffe in County Durham.

The facility intends to manufacture one million hand sanitisers a month. Hand to mouth contamination is one of the main ways covid-19 infects people and there is a critical shortage of hand sanitisers across the UK.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, founder and chairman of Ineos, said: ‘Now that production of the Ineos hand sanitiser has started, we are working on the fastest way to get them to where they need to be. I am confident that within a few days our sanitiser will start to be seen in hospitals and surgeries.’

With schools closed for all but Key Worker children the team’s official charity, the 1851 Trust, has created a free online education platform for STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths) to help parents home educate their children.

Anyone who would like to access the resources can do so by going to http://www.stemcrew.org/resources/

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