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| 3080 2080 S 280 and S 380 |
Benefit:
Electrical Safety. A
term for electrically operated healthcare beds has crept into the vocabulary
of all people involved in nursing care which is actually wrong - "electric
healthcare bed" as it is also referred to in norms and regulations. Well,
of course, electrically operated healthcare beds are just as little "electric"
as an "electric" iron or a baking oven. They are merely electrically operated.
Because a healthcare bed additionally is a medical electrical appliance,
it is subject to fiercer regulations than any other household appliance.
In order to ensure electrical safety there is a more comprehensive package of measures for healthcare beds for which the manufacturer has to take responsibility. When these safety measures are more or less comprehensive from healthcare bed to healthcare bed and may vary in addition, the reason for this is that norms and guidelines leave it up to manufacturers to carry out a risk assessment. So it is up to manufacturer whether safety measures are built into his appliances which only just comply with minimum legal requirements or if a whole package of safety devices is used in order to really cover all possible cases. Both extremes fulfill the prerequisites for CE conformity. Bust just as with a basic car model complying with all standard requirements and optional extras like ABS or airbags making it safer, however, a healthcare bed in the same way is getting safer with each sensible safety measure that is used in addition. The fact that a higher price has to be paid for more safety is a matter of personal preferences when buying a car, but with regard to investments into healthcare beds it is a matter of responsibility towards occupants being cared for. Well, the advantages of electrically operated healthcare beds are beyond dispute. The advantages in terms of individual independence for occupants are obvious, resulting in a relief of the strain for caregivers. In addition, assistance to caregivers is offered by means of adjustment options that can be operated by pressing a button on the hand control unit or the caregiver control box (optional). But how to check the safety of electrically operated healthcare beds, then? The best way is to carry out comprehensive manufacturer interviews: Are beds really designed in such a way that no danger may occur in all probability and when they are treated in due care? And which protective measures are concerned here? Völker healthcare beds are equipped with 10 protective measures that are synchronized in such a way that if one fails - which under normal circumstances is virtually impossible - then another protective measure kicks in. The first protective measure seldom found in other healthcare beds is the so-called main power cut-out switch. It ensures that the bed circuits are connected to the main power supply only when the hand control button is pushed. At all other times, power to bed circuits is disconnected from the main power supply as if the main power plug were pulled out. This makes a Völker healthcare bed not only free of electric current, but also free of electromagnetic fields. By means of protective measures taken by Völker and when the bed is correctly used by the operator, accidents can be largely excluded that might be caused by wires, drive units and other electrical devices. Due to the different requirements and conditions prevailing in nursing homes, however, the protective measures designed by Völker are exposed to varying wear and tear as well as to different strain. We naturally also cannot influence operators to steadily and persistently observe all the rules defined in the MPBetreibV (German Regulation for Operators of Medical Products). That's why healthcare beds as medical products may only be operated by persons who were trained by the manufacturer or by a person who was previously trained in the proper use of the bed. In addition, several tests are planned in order to ensure that beds are in proper condition. These tests depend on the level of danger assessed and on how frequent the bed is used. Technical checks prescribed for medical electrical devices by the manufacturer must be carried out at given intervals according to manufacturer's specifications and with due regard to accepted technical practice. Free copies of documents and checklists on technical checks are provided by Völker. Training on carrying out technical checks and repairs is regularly offered. |
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