Northumberland-headquartered safety and medical technology leader Draeger Safety UK, which celebrated 60 years of operation in the UK last year, joined the NEAA in early 2021 to explore further opportunities within the sector.
With a growing portfolio and a continued commitment to the North East, Draeger Safety UK is part of the family-run Dräger Group, with more than 16,000 employees worldwide.
Since it was founded in 1889, the company’s focus has been on ‘technology for life’ – helping to save and protect lives.
The NEAA caught up with Dave Head, Head of Marketing in the UK to find out more about the company, discuss its product portfolio, and hear about plans for future growth
Firstly, can you tell us more about Draeger Safety, your Blyth operation and the product range you manufacture?
Dräger is an international leader in the fields of medical and safety technology – our products protect, support and save lives, ranging from face masks, breathing apparatus and gas detectors to alcohol breathalysers and vehicle Interlock systems.
The majority of our product range is manufactured in Germany and the UK. We also offer a wide range of safety training courses from our bases in Blyth and Aberdeen, as well as service and maintenance provision. The company was founded in 1889 and remains to this day family-run, present in over 190 countries around the world.
The company has its UK Safety Division headquarters in Blyth, Northumberland, and employs over 750 people in the UK across functions ranging from marketing, research, and development (R&D) to sales, service, and manufacturing.
Our safety products are used and trusted by a wide variety of customers across sectors including utilities, oil and gas, automotive, renewable energy, emergency services and manufacturing.
How can Draeger Safety support the automotive sector and the
wider manufacturing industry?
Dräger is a member of the Global Vision Zero initiative so protecting human life and health is fundamental to our operations. Dräger has the safety solutions to help the automotive industry focus on its most significant challenge: shaping the future of the energy transition.
Within the electric vehicle (EV) industry lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are the ultimate energy storage system of choice. However, when it comes to managing risks in production and development of batteries, as well as in the use, application and disposal of these types of batteries, there are a number of safety challenges to consider.
These include:
- Fire and explosion – vapours from solvents and liquid electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries are flammable and may lead to an increased risk of fires and explosions. Using gas detection technology to monitor combustible gases may mitigate this safety risk and therefore early warning gas detection may be required for battery manufacturing, recycling and storage. Fire risks are also caused by thermal runaway which, for example, can be caused by damage to the battery. Our flame detectors, which work on the infrared spectrum, also have applications in high energy storage environments, offering the ability to detect the very early onset of fires.
- Hazardous gases – lithium-ion battery solvents and electrolytes are often irritants and can be toxic. Strict monitoring is necessary to ensure workers’ safety.
- Dust particles – active materials in battery electrodes, such as graphite or lithium cobalt dioxide, are processed in powder form, hence suitable and appropriate respiratory protective equipment (RPE) is essential during battery manufacturing and recycling.
- Oxygen deficiency – processing is often carried out in an oxygen-reduced environment to reduce fire hazards in manufacturing and recycling, so oxygen monitoring is essential for employee safety..
