Bite related injuries can become infected and mental health care professionals can subsequently be contaminated with pathogens. Transmissions of potentially life threatening viruses, such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C or HIV are also a part of reality.

The prevention of these injuries and the design and development of effective PPE (Personaql Protective Clothing) is among our key ovjectives

The NHS Security Management Service in the United Kingdom claimed just a short while ago that mental health care professionals are far more likely to be attacked than other health care workers with a total of 38,958 assaults in 2008-09, accounting for 71% of attacks on health care staff during that period.

The joint Healthcare Commission and Royal College of Psychiatrists have also recently reported that more than half of nurses on mental health wards have been physically attacked.

Looking at the potential and realistic consequences, especially following a human bite, we must look at appropriate PPE, such as bite resistanr arm guards and clothing, in order to help protect mental health care professionals from such consequences, which in the worst case scenario can include death, in case a serious and incurable disease has been transmitted.

Bite resistant arm guards can make a real difference

Bite resistant arm guards have very recently become a real option when looking into improving the individual safety of mental health care workers.  This new type of PPE will drastically reduce the danger of infections.

"Human bites can cause both physical injury, risk of infection, soft tissue damage and psychological distress to staff and additional measure to protect staff from a bite may be beneficial", states Debbie Townsend, Physical Intervention Training Manager of the Oxfordshire Learning Disability NHS Trust.

Are you aware that the majority of close combat injuries found on police or security specialists can be found on their forearms or hands?  These injuries are classed as defensive injuries.  Our normal instinctive response when faced by a possible hostile or attacking individual is to lift our arms and hands in order to defend ourselves and protect our head and facial area.  This subsequently exposes our forearm and hands to a higher risk of danger of injuries.

Bite resistant arm guards will significantly decrease the risk of bite injuries on arms and hands, and subsequently reduce the risk of infections and cross contamination.

However, it is worth pointing out that bite resistant clothing in general only reduces the danger of human teeth penetrating the other person's skin… but will not quit the potentially painful impact due to the pressure and force of the human jaw. So the danger of infection will be eliminated, but the danger of bruising remains.

UK based PPSS Group have however now designed and launched a new additional model of their Version 1 sleeves, offering additional (padded) protection from blunt forced trauma, efficiently reducing the severity of potentially painful bruising.

Based on the many conversations with mental health care professionals and teachers within special needs and learning disability schools, I had over the past few years I can confirm the main concern within this sector seems to be the risk of infection.  Bite protective clothing will effectively reduce this risk!

For all Canada and U.S.based enquiries please contact PPSS North America.