Labels that resist 70% alcohol hand sanitiser and wipes
Written by Oliver Stockton, Managing Director, CILS
Organizations such as the German Red Cross (DRK) train their Medical Device and drug officers to take responsibility for labelling all of their medical devices and instruments with an inventory number and barcode.
The devices can be as small as diagnostic medical penlights and fingertip pulse oximeters or larger devices including automated external defibrillators (AED), ventilators and other respiratory equipment.
Studies suggest that Coronaviruses such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) from 2003 or the current CORONA Virus 2019 (Covid-19) may persist on surfaces for a few hours to several days, therefore the label must be durable to withstand regular disinfectant cleaning.
The labels will need to resist wipes that contain 70% isopropyl alcohol and a label on a small device may also need to resist regular handling with freshly sanitized hands that may have a residue of 70% sanitising gel on them.
High-quality durable labels for this type of use can be provided blank for the customer to have complete control over what they wish to print using a standard black toner desktop laser printer or a thermal transfer printer.
For example, the image above shows a yellow polyester label that has been printed using an HP LaserJet Pro M203dn and resists multiple cleaning with 70% alcohol.
If budget is available for a dedicated thermal transfer printer at approximately £445 (GoDEX RT30i) you will have the added benefit of printing one label at a time rather than a whole sheet. If you use a resin thermal transfer ribbon you will also have a greater level of print durability. The label will remain legible for longer especially if the device is repeatedly wiped down with alcohol.
Durable labels can also be printed for you with your sequence of data and barcodes so you do not need to print them yourself. These can be manufactured with CILS ‘Print Guarding’ which would give an even higher level of durability.
A popular choice is to have a label partially printed by us with a logo, address and information that never changes and yet is still printable using a laser or desktop printer.
In light of the current pandemic, the German Red Cross example is just one example of who uses our labels and CILS labels can be found on respiratory equipment in hospitals and laboratories all over the world.
If you would like more information and free samples that will resist frequent cleaning with alcohol wipes please let us know.