Plastic A4 covers converted into face masks for NHS workers
A biotech start-up is urging law firms to donate their spare supplies of acetate so they can be converted into protective face shields for frontline NHS staff.
Augment Bionics, a prosthetics specialist, began 3D-printing the masks and donating them to local hospitals and GP surgeries in response to national shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE).
But the start-up is now calling on law firms to raid their supply cupboards and donate the A4 clear covers, which would normally be found wrapped around hefty legal bundles or presentations, so they can continue production throughout the pandemic.
Since coming up with the idea just over two weeks ago, Augment Bionics has produced almost 1,000 pieces of the PPE in a sanitised workshop at Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith.
Ex-students have also offered their support, with one, Rob Grylls, telling Legal Cheek:
“One of the limiting factors for manufacturing these face shields is the clear plastic visor which has been in huge demand across the world as PPE shortages affect entire countries.”
Grylls — who stepped in to help after he was furloughed from his role as partnership manager at Future Frontiers, an education charity based in London — continued:
“I knew that many office buildings in London kept stocks of acetates for document binding and so I reached out to my contacts in the legal industry to see if they could help! The response so far has been incredible, with the message being shared between 40 law firms and donations already received from nine totalling over 8,000 sheets of acetate. This has been essential in meeting our target of providing 10,000 visors to frontline staff by the end of this week — to both local councils and hospitals in London.”