• Manufacturers are keen to produce sanitisers, masks, gloves and other protective gears locally to help fight the coronavirus.
• Kebs has emphasized the need for manufacturers to follow the right specifications for each product.
Image: EZEKIAL AMING'A
The Kenya Bureau of Standards has allowed manufacturers and individuals to access specific standards related to the production of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) free-of-charge as the fight against Covid-19 spread intensifies.
“KEBS is facilitating businesses, ensuring they produce items that meet the specific requirements as well as complementing government’s efforts to safeguard the health and safety of all Kenyans,” managing director Bernard Njiraini said on Friday.
Safety and performance are central to protecting the users of these items – largely helping to contain the spread of the coronavirus, Njiraini said.
The standards available on Kebs website for free public access during this period include: KS EAS 789:2013(for the instant hand sanitizers), KS 2636:2016 (for the surgical masks) and KS ISO 11193-1:2002 (for the single-use medical examination gloves) – made from rubber latex or rubber solution.
Others are KS ISO 11193-2:2006 for the single-use medical examination gloves - made from poly (vinyl chloride) and KS ISO 10282:2002, for the single-use sterile rubber surgical gloves.
These standards shall be watermarked “Provided by Kebs. Limited Access during COVID-19 Emergency. Personal use only.”
Kebs has held sessions with manufacturers of PPE who wants to start mass production of these gears that includes masks and gowns, as the country steps up the fight against COVID – 19 pandemic.
Local manufacturers had inquired from the government agency the modalities and procedures the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME’s) have to follow to conform with the standards of making those gears, for effectiveness and efficiency in protecting Kenyans in the wake of the Corona virus.
Kebs has welcomed the move and acknowledged industry player's' pro-activeness and innovation when it comes to helping Kenyans deal with the pandemic.
The standards body has emphasized the need for manufacturers to follow the right specifications for each product as provided by Kebs guidelines on quality and inspection.
“Our mandate as a regulator in the industry is to provide guidelines and leadership when it comes to the production of these products and equipment. So that we can give the level of confidence to Kenyans, we have to control what is being manufactured and offered for sale,” said Njiraini.
Some of the equipment that will require some operation verifications like the ventilators will be reviewed by the technical committee in charge of the respective standards development.
Meanwhile, Kebs has cautioned the public against purchasing PPE in the streets since some of them are not up to the required standard, and may not help them protect them.
Among the companies that met with Kebs includes Dala Textiles, Bedi Investments, Gimzo clothing limited, Waza Wazi clothings, and Texplast which has a capacity to produce one million meters of the recommended polypropylene material per day.