SEASONS GREETINGS TO EVERYONE
2011 has been a busy year for us and we are all ready for a break. We open again officially on the 3rd January although orders, emails and phone calls will be monitored throughout the Christmas & New Year period. So - make the most of the holidays and we will see you again in the New Year.
SPECIAL SUMMER OFFER
Seca are offering the Model 764 combined high capacity electronic BMI weighing & measuring station (no printer) at the very special price of £599.00 + vat until the end of August or while stocks last. The usual list price of the 764 is £749.00 + vat so you will have to move fast to take advantage of this huge saving.
APPROVED MEDICAL SCALES - MARKS TO LOOK FOR.
The CE Mark
The Green M Label
The 4 digit number indicating the organisation responsible for the first verification of the scale
A red star indicates that the scale has been tested and rejected as being unfit for use.
The Crown indicates that a repair has been carried out and the scale is fit for use.
THE CLASSIFICATIONS
New approved medical scales are available in two accuracy classes – Class III and Class IIII.
Class III – the more accurate of the two classes and deemed suitable for diagnostic or treatment purposes.
Class IIII – Deemed suitable for checking a patient’s weight for routine record purposes only.
When buying new scales it is important, therefore, for the user to consider what level of accuracy is appropriate and to choose equipment accordingly.
In addition to the Class III or Class IIII marking, all new scales that conform to the legislation must also carry the first three marks shown above.
SCALES PURCHASED PRIOR TO 1 JANUARY 2003
Scales purchased prior to 1st January 2003 can continue in use indefinitely. The law is not retrospective so you can continue to use older equipment while ever it is serviceable.
ENFORCING THE LEGISLATION
Enforcing the legislation is the responsibility of Trading Standards Departments and their Officers have the power to enter premises and inspect and test medical weighing scales in hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, health centres, care homes etc.
SCALES THAT INDICATE IN BOTH METRIC AND IMPERIAL
Scales that indicate both in metric and imperial (dual reading) are no longer available in an approved format for medical use.
Due to the UK move towards metrication, there is no longer a standard for imperial weights and we no longer keep imperial test weights for calibration purposes.
Perhaps the most important reason to stop using equipment with dual indication, however, is that it is very easy to make an error – for example
a) If the operator is unaware that the scale can display in metric or imperial.
b) If the operator fails to make it clear whether the weight was recorded in metric or in imperial.
Always ensure that staff are familiar with the correct procedure for operating dual indicating scales.
THE LACORS MEDICAL WEIGHING PROJECT
The ongoing LACORS Medical Weighing Project was instigated because of the lack of accurate and well-maintained weighing equipment being used in hospitals and also because of mistakes occurring due to weight recording errors described above. In worst case scenarios, LACORS noted that lives were put at serious risk because of such errors.
It is possible that the LACORS survey of hospital weighing equipment may be extended to other medical establishments in the future.
OCTOBER 2009 - PROWEIGHT BATCH WEIGHERS ON YOUTUBE
Proweight batch weighers are now on Youtube. If you need to save time and money on pre-packing any loose, free-flowing product go to youtube and search Proweight - weigh-packing is much more accurate and so much easier with one of our batch weighers and now you can see for yourself. |
