Odisha: PPEs to protect traffic cops from pollution and infections in Bhubaneswar

BHUBANESWAR: If everything goes as planned, the traffic police at major junctions of Odisha‘s capital city of Bhubaneswar will soon sport smart personal protective equipment (PPE) to ward off air pollution and infections.
The commissionerate police has supplied five pairs of these protective gears to its traffic personnel to understand if the idea is feasible and whether these PPEs are comfortable to wear.
These have been designed by a startup, AUUM Platforms, under the brand name of Swasner. The PPE comes with a face shield and a hoodie, a small battery-operated fan, an air filter and a high-quality face mask.
“We have asked our traffic staff to use these PPEs for some days. If they feel comfortable in these while performing duty for several hours, we will make a bulk purchase. Our objective is to keep our staff away from pollution and virus,” commissioner of police Saumendra Priyadarshi said.
Sai Sambeet Nayak, the chief executive officer of the AUUM, said Swasner is designed to filter air and safeguard the user’s personal space with KN95 protection, enabling the user to breathe purified air. He added that the kit comes with a battery life of more than eight hours.
The traffic cops have not faced any inconvenience using the product so far. “The PPE has a transparent visor and face access zippers. The fan helps us get rid of sweat. The jacket has utility pockets, which are quite useful to slip in small things. During the pandemic, we can make contactless conversations with motorists and rule violators wearing these. Our voices can be clearly heard outside from inside the face shield,” a traffic constable said.
The capital city has around 500 traffic personnel, who are exposed to pollution and inhale toxic air emitted from vehicles every day. To make the traffic police look smart, the commissionerate of police had in 2008 provided them with soiled white uniform, cowboy hats, black belt with frayed edges and dark goggles.
“As they are exposed to pollution, we have been conducting regular health screening camps for the traffic personnel. Efforts are being made to upgrade the traffic posts under the Smart City project,” a traffic police officer said.
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