Source: NorthTec
NorthTec staff have worked together to provide home-made hand sanitation stations for use on campus.
With some students and staff returning to campus-based learning under Covid-19 Alert Level 2, the range of health and safety measures required included the provision of extensive hand sanitation facilities.
After receiving quotes for commercially-manufactured stations, Capital Assets Manager, Jeff O’Shea, contacted Construction and Painting Pathway Manager, Sam Kelly, to see if the carpentry and painting tutors could assist, in a bid to keep costs down.
Meanwhile, Laboratory Manager, Daniel Roecken, was already hard at work manufacturing hand sanitiser, due to a lack of the product being available commercially.
Two teams of staff at the Dyer Street, Whangārei and Kaikohe campuses drafted a plan for construction, calculated and ordered materials, and then began building the sanitation dispensers. The painting team then completed the job by decking them out in “Covid” yellow.
A total of 55 units were constructed and painted within just three days, and have been delivered and installed at NorthTec’s campuses across the region.
By working in-house, the team effort saved thousands of dollars, with the commercially-developed stations being quoted at $200 each.
Daniel Roecken used the NorthTec science laboratories to mix and manufacture the hand sanitiser to World Health Organisation standards. This involved sourcing chemicals and containers, then mixing the prescribed chemicals to obtain the finished product. In all, Daniel has so far produced five 20-litre batches, for use by all visitors to NorthTec campuses.
Acting Chief Executive, Wayne Jackson, said: “This was a fantastic effort by NorthTec staff, who between them had the knowledge, resources and access to materials and facilities to complete this project quickly.
“The hand sanitiser became a problem early in the pandemic, with commercial supplies selling out and being prioritised for medical facilities. Daniel did a great job of producing home-made sanitiser to global hygiene standards.
“The carpentry and painting staff were able to save NorthTec a lot of money by building the sanitation stations in-house. All in all it was an excellent job done quickly and efficiently, and will contribute to the health and safety of all visitors to our campuses as we move down through the Alert Levels.”
The construction and painting staff involved were: Dyer Street Team – Carpentry tutors David Garrick; Roger Rhodes; Chris Carter; John Pratt and Richard Easton, with painting tutors Jarrod McKelvie and James Whittaker. Kaikohe team – Carpentry tutors Stephen Rameka; George Tzikoucos and Stuart Richardson, with painting tutors Eru Kaukau and Monty Tito.
