Avon Protection’s innovative respiratory escape device – the CH15 Compact CBRN Escape Hood – was announced as winner of the Best International Industrial Product Design 2021 at the recently held Plastics Industry Awards event in London. 

 

Now in its 20th year, the Plastics Industry Awards is the forum for recognising and rewarding excellence in an increasingly competitive market. Launched in 2001, and held annually in the capital, this event is dedicated to rewarding innovation and exceptional performance.

 

“The Plastics Industry Awards are renowned for acknowledging the best companies and the best people in the market, so to be selected as overall winner in the Best International Industrial Product Design category for the CH15 is a tremendous achievement, and demonstrates the revolutionary and compact design features of the product,” commented Tom Williams, Global Product Manager at Avon Protection. 

Rapid deployment respiratory protection for military, first responders and protective detail

The CH15 escape hood is an ultra-thin, single size respiratory escape device that provides a minimum of 15 minutes of respiratory, vision and facial protection against Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) threats. 

The last decade has clearly demonstrated how the CBRN threat profile has changed significantly. Today most threats are unplanned and the CH15 is a development driven after an emerging requirement from specialist users to have available instant protection from all CBRN materials when in a live threat scenario. Developed in conjunction with the US government Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO), the CH15 escape hood provides rapid deployment respiratory protection for military, first responders and protective detail.

The lowest profile, lightest weight, one-size-fits-all, 15-minute CBRN escape respirator

 

One of the key design objectives was to reduce the number of components compared to the previous generation product, in particular the plastic componentry, which led to an overall reduction in mass by 22 per cent. This was achieved through multiple design innovations surrounding the filter design, as well as the hood and nose-cup design. 

Nick Hunter, Senior Design Engineer, said: “With the CH15 we set out to create the lowest profile, lightest weight, one-size-fits-all, 15-minute CBRN escape respirator available. The development journey has proven to be very challenging; we were battling over every millimetre to reduce the product thickness whilst meeting the strict product performance requirements. 

“Achieving our goal has required innovative design approaches, creative engineering and pushing the boundaries of materials science and manufacturing methods,” he continued. “Ultimately, we have delivered a key benefit to our end users that the CH15 can always be on hand for the unexpected.”

Avon Protection is recognised as a world leader in respiratory and ballistic protection, delivering life critical solutions for Militaries and First Responders worldwide. For more information about the company’s products, visit: www.avon-protection.com