The Herald:

ANNAN-based PPE company Alpha Solway has manufactured a range of face masks to help aid clearer communication for workers who rely on visual communication.

The certified and UKCA/CE marked range will include one of the first transparent FFP3 grade face masks to be available to healthcare professionals and all industries who use visual communication.

Designed and manufactured in the UK, the transparent face mask "offers a breakthrough for specific audiences, particularly children and older people as well as those suffering from hearing impairments, learning disabilities, autism or dementia".

Parent company Globus Group is producing the see-through HAIKA MX C and Alpha Solway HXC-2 and HXC-3 face masks.

The masks can also be used for a wide range of applications in industries outside healthcare where communication is vital such as the public sector, retail, education, and leisure and hospitality.

Steven Binnie, managing director of Alpha Solway, part of Globus Group, said: “The breakthrough of our transparent respiratory range will be invaluable for the estimated 12 million people across the UK who live with hearing loss and struggle to communicate with those wearing face coverings as the covid pandemic continues.

“Positive non-verbal communication has been shown to decrease patient anxiety and give better outcomes. And it gives the patient confidence that a physician is sensitive and understanding. As a result, the patient is more trusting and communicative.

“While our current range of face masks and respirators offer the highest levels of protection, these new additions will add significant benefits in areas where non-verbal communication is essential.

“Our healthcare team have been working closely with frontline NHS staff throughout the pandemic and this new product range was developed to help them in their interactions with patients and each other. It has been designed to offer maximum comfort and breathability, ensuring confidence for the wearer that they can be understood when communicating with others, creating a positive impact and culture for all.”

Oil price recovery boosts office activity

Activity in Aberdeen’s office market picked up markedly between the second and third quarter of this year supported by a sustained increase in oil prices and a return of occupiers to the workplace.

According to figures from property consultant Knight Frank, take-up between July and September reached 51,316sq ft, almost double the near-26,000sq ft in the second quarter. The latest take-up was also well ahead of the 28,000sq ft recorded in the first quarter of this year.

Packaging firm in sustainability push

A Scottish packaging company has signed up to a key campaign to help shape the focus to sustainable business.

Port Glasgow-based McLaren Packaging, a specialist supplier to the Scotch Whisky industry, has signed up to the United Nations Race to Zero campaign, which is a global push to rally leadership and support from businesses and government and set the scene for a low carbon recovery.

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