Envirotect manager produces 100 face shields by hand during furlough

Envirotect operations manager Nigel Payne has been putting his time in furlough to good use by making essential PPE for the NHS, since his wife Amanda mentioned that local schools and companies had been using laser cutters or 3D printers to make face shields.

With years of experience in the joinery industry Nigel’s technical mind got to work and he set up a workshop on his dining room table. He had looked at designs online, but they did not suit the materials to hand so he adjusted the designs slightly to incorporate the materials available. He said: “I made a jig with pieces of plywood and used a hot plate to heat up the plastic strips. I then used a hot glue gun and double-sided tape to assemble the pieces.”

Amanda added: “I work for Barnardo’s, which is affiliated with child and adolescent mental health services in Aylesbury and, through my contacts, we found a happy recipient for the donation at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.”

The couple’s daughter Jasmin helped with assembling the shields while son Thomas delivered them to the trust’s designated collection point.

The face shields were completed just in time as Nigel is returning to work at protection and shielding company Envirotect.

Picture: The Payne family – Thomas, Jasmin, Amanda and Nigel – with the handmade face shields.

Published on page 3 of the August 2020 issue of RAD Magazine.