Member Article

Millions to be protected from Covid-19 at motorway fuel pumps this August Bank Holiday

Drivers taking time out to make the most of the last great summer getaway this August Bank holiday, can look forward to a safer refueling experience at motorway service stations across the UK, all thanks to the installation of GripHero, a British invention which protects drivers from contamination,Covid-19 and other dangerous contaminants at the fuel pump.

Following a Titanic effort, the hand-protection dispensers have been installed at motorway service stations on all mainland motorways. In total 70% of motorway service stations, including Moto’s network of Motorway Service Areas, now have GripHero in place.

Unlike traditional hand-protection, GripHero’s dispensers can be found on fuel pumps right next to the point of refueling as well as on fuel-nozzles. This is made possible through GripHero’s use of ATEX-Certified anti-static material, which means its dispensers and hand-protection can be used in the refuelling zone without concern of petrol vapour ignition caused by static-energy discharge.

Now, drivers can easily find hand-protection and, using GripHero’s smart release system, withdraw it without coming into contact with surfaces touched by motorists who may be carriers of Covid-19. This is important as drivers who cough or sneeze on their hands whilst driving, can easily pass on traces of infected mucus via the fuel pump handle to hundreds of other drivers.

Located on each and every fuel bay and in many cases on each fuel pump, GripHero avoids another issue typically encountered over bank holidays; shortages of hand-protection. This is achieved through the dispensers’ one item withdrawal mechanism, which prevents clumps of gloves being withdrawn and wasted; a common problem with traditional dispensers which leads to frequent shortages of hand-protection at peak times.

GripHero was created following inventor Oli Yeo’s struggle to find hand-protection at numerous forecourts across the UK. Independent research commissioned by GripHero in 2017, showed that over 80% of drivers regularly filled up without using hand-protection because they couldn’t find gloves, or because standard dispensers were empty.

Determined to put an end to this situation and to help protect drivers from foul-smelling, fuel impregnated hands, as well as the potential for contracting sickness, illness and disease from other drivers, Oli Yeo invented and patented the world’s only on-the-fuel-nozzle hand-protection dispenser. Little did he know that the outbreak of Covid-19 would lead to forecourts on five continents installing GripHero.

Among the many motorway service stations ready to greet drivers with GripHero this August, is the multi-award-winning Gloucester Services, run by Westmorland Ltd.

Andy Smith, Group Fuels Manager for Westmorland Ltd, explains: “It is more important than ever before to protect our customers in the best way we possibly can. By offering GripHero, Westmorland Ltd is playing its part in the battle against coronavirus, and is dramatically reducing wastage that other glove dispensers produce. We’re also eliminating the static-risks for our customers in the fuelling zone.”

Commenting on the protection that GripHero now provides on the UK’s motorways, Oli Yeo, inventor and managing director of GripHero, said: “Protecting the health and wellbeing of drivers across the UK motorway network is a dream come true. When we started out, our vision was to change the face of forecourts for the better, and here we are today doing exactly that at the same time as dramatically reducing the environmental impact of hand-protection used on forecourts and service stations.”

Since the start of the pandemic, GripHero has prevented over 300 tonnes of plastic from entering the waste stream; both as a result of its non-waste manufacturing process and through its single item dispensing solution. In comparison to standard gloves, this reduces dispenser waste by as much as 100%. The number of GripHero hand-protectors used on the average forecourt is 55% lower than standard gloves, due to this elimination of wastage.

GripHero has also saved over 1,000 tonnes of CO2 that would have been created by the manufacture and use of conventional gloves, and has removed 50 tonnes of unnecessary cardboard boxes used to house traditional gloves. Combined, independent verification has proven GripHero to be the forecourt hand-protection sector’s lowest producer of carbon.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Lizzie Bailey .