Month: February 2018

Bedfont, a medical device manufacturer, has been shortlisted for 3 awards by the Federation of Small Businesses

According to the Federation of Small Businesses, there are 5.5 small businesses across the UK and the awards they organise help to promote and recognise innovation, enterprise and accomplishment in 12 areas across the UK.1 Bedfont is proud to have been shortlisted in 3 categories for the South East: Business Exporter of the Year, Family Business of the Year and Employer of the Year.

Other categories include Business and Product Innovation, Community Award, Digital Business of the Year, Ethical-Green Business of the Year, Micro Business of the year, Scale-Up Business of the Year, Start-Up Business of the Year, Triumph over Adversity Award and the Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

Bedfont, based in Kent, is a small family company of 40 employees who specialises in the design and manufacture of breath analysis medical devices, which it exports to over 76 countries worldwide thanks to an unprecedented network of distributors.

Jason Smith, Managing Director at Bedfont, says, “I am particularly proud of our nominations for Family Business and Employer of the year, as I feel these reflect what we are trying to achieve as part of our core culture. We have a low turnover of staff who enjoy their jobs and grow as the company does, and a network of dedicated distributors worldwide who all make us what we refer to as ‘The Bedfont Family’. This we feel directly contributes to our success overseas and has seen our Export business grow year on year, in the words of Richard Branson – ‘look after the employees; they will take care of the clients.”

The South East FSB Awards will be held on 6th March and all successful regional category winners will have the chance to be crowned the national winner in each at the Westminster Park Plaza in London on 3 May 2018.

REFERENCES

1. FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards 2018 [Internet]. Fsb.org.uk. 2018 [cited 12 February 2018]. Available from: https://www.fsb.org.uk/events/fsb-celebrating-small-business-awards-2018

Bedfont Scientific Ltd. has made a 510(k) submission for US FDA clearance of their ToxCO® monitor used by emergency services to mass screen for carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

Bedfont, based in the UK, specialists in the design and manufacture of breath analysis medical products, has made an FDA 510(k) submission for clearance to sell one of its breath analysers, the ToxCO®.

Established in 1976, the second-generation family company already has one device on the market in America, their Micro+™ Smokerlyzer® CO monitor to help people quit smoking. Using a similar technology, the ToxCO® is designed for emergency services to mass screen for cases of CO poisoning, providing a quicker method than the traditional blood test. A breath sample can be taken from a patient via mouthpiece, or in instances where the patient is unconscious, by face mask. By being able to mass screen patients on-site, it can rule out unnecessary hospital admissions and save valuable time, furthermore, the ToxCO® has ambient monitoring which begins from switch-on, alerting emergency services to high levels of atmospheric CO at the scene of the incident, helping to safeguard them and be prepared.

Known as the silent killer, CO is a colourless, odourless, highly poisonous gas that is produced when fuels are burned incompletely. Everybody is exposed to CO in everyday life; from boilers, open fires, cars, generators and even burning your toast. CO poisoning is the most common type of fatal poisoning in many countries1. According to the CDC, “during 1999–2010, a total of 5,149 deaths from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning occurred in the United States, an average of 430 deaths per year”.2 Prolonged exposure can lead to severe health consequences, and if exposed for too long, death. An exposure to 12,800ppm of carbon monoxide can kill you within 1-3 minutes3.

Jason Smith, Managing Director at Bedfont, explains, “We are working hard to help raise awareness of breath analysis in the USA and how the ToxCO® has the potential to save so many lives. We are fully committed to working closely everyone involved to have swift and successful FDA clearance for this product.”

Daniel Sibis, Vice President at coVita LLC, Bedfont’s USA distributor, comments, “The ToxCO® will revolutionise how emergency services approach carbon monoxide poisoning. Compared to blood samples, breath analysis with the ToxCO® is quick, easy and completely non-invasive. This means no more needles and with values shown instantly onscreen, the ToxCO® will save more lives.”

PLEASE NOTE: The ToxCO® is not available for sale in the U.S.A at this time.

-ends-

REFERENCES

1.      Humber, A. (2009) ‘A Feasibility study into the prehospital carbon monoxide poisoning of patients’, London Ambulance Service NHS.

2.      QuickStats: Average Annual Number of Deaths and Death Rates from Unintentional, Non–Fire-Related Carbon Monoxide Poisoning,*† by Sex and Age Group — United States, 1999–2010 [Internet]. Cdc.gov. 2018

[cited 11 January 2018]

. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6303a6.htm

3.      CO Health Risks – Detect Carbon Monoxide [Internet]. Detect Carbon Monoxide. 2017 [cited 17 January 2018]. Available from: http://www.detectcarbonmonoxide.com/co-health-risks/

Bedfont Scientific Ltd., based in Maidstone, needs the public to vote for them to become a European Public Winner and represent the UK in the European Business Awards

The European Business Awards, sponsored by RSM, is a cross-industry and cross-border business competition. First held in 2007, the European Business Awards aims to recognise and reward companies that help tackle the major issues faced by Europe and the world; unemployment, climate and environmental challenges, conflict and widespread poverty. Bedfont, a second-generation family business that specialises in the design and manufacture of breath analysis medical devices, has submitted a video entry to represent the UK and now needs the help of the public to be voted the European Public Winner.

111,000 businesses were considered for the European Business Awards this year and each company was heavily analysed until the number was whittled down to only 2898 companies, creating Europe’s first ‘One’s To Watch’ list. On this list, there were only 196 companies from the UK and Bedfont was proud to be named among them.

Jason Smith, Managing Director at Bedfont, says, “We strive to be a well-rounded company; we look after our employees, we are very conscious of our carbon footprint and take measures to offset it, we fundraise for charities, and work with small local companies to help boost the local economy. We are only a small company of 40, with the niche concept of breath analysis, but we are proud to make a difference and save lives. This wouldn’t be possible without each and every member of the Bedfont family. When we innovate our products to improve health, we do this with our family and your family in mind. To represent the UK in the European Business Awards would be incredible but we please need your help to make this happen. Please watch our video entry and help us make a difference, please vote for us.”

To watch the video and vote for Bedfont, please click here: https://www.businessawardseurope.com/vote/detail-new/28/23920. To vote, you need to enter your email (bottom right) and then click the confirmation link you will receive by email.