SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- Electrical Injury Protection System - Personal Protective Equipment for Workers
- Notice Date
- 4/4/2006
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 335999
— All Other Miscellaneous Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Acquisition and Assistance Field Branch (Morgantown), 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV, 26505
- ZIP Code
- 26505
- Solicitation Number
- Reference-Number-RFI2006-004
- Response Due
- 4/20/2006
- Archive Date
- 5/5/2006
- Description
- Description The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is seeking to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work with an electrical safety equipment manufacturer to design, test, and evaluate the marketability of the Electrical Injury Protection System (EIPS), personal protective equipment for electrical workers and electricians, which is being developed by NIOSH. The goal of this project is to improve the safety of electrical workers/electricians by bringing the EIPS into the marketplace. This announcement is a business opportunity in that the partner selected will share expertise with NIOSH researchers toward making the EIPS a viable and profitable piece of safety equipment. An investigation of fatal occupational electrocutions in the U.S. between 1992 and 1999 shows that most fatal occupational electrocutions were attributed to contact with overhead power lines (1046, 41.4%). Another investigation of occupational electrocution fatalities shows that a large percentage of electrocution victims were working around an electrical circuit that was not de-energized (54%) and/or were working without the presence of a GFCI (98%). The investigation also shows that 47% of the victims did not use lock-out/tag-out procedures. In order to address these risk factors, NIOSH is developing the EIPS to reduce the occupational fatality and injury rates related to contact with electrical energy. The EIPS uses a 60-Hz electric-field sensor, which is mounted either on a human body or on a piece of metal equipment, to detect the proximity of, or electrical contact with, a worker or a piece of metal equipment to an energized power line or electrical circuit at low (less than 600 volts) or high voltage (at least 600 volts). The sensor will setoff an audible and/or visual alarm as it detects the human/equipment proximity or electrical contact. To further protect the workers from electrocution, the system can also include a controller which is plugged into a low voltage (less than 600 volts) electrical circuit. The controller can setoff an audible/visual alarm, and trip a GFCI (if in place), or a circuit breaker on its plugged-in electrical circuit (when the controller receives a radio-frequency tripping command transmitted from the electric-field sensor as the sensor detects the human/equipment electrical contact with this electrical circuit). The controller trips the GFCI and the circuit breaker by generating artificial excessive line-to-ground and line-to-neutral currents on the circuit, respectively. Alternatively, the controller can be re-configured as a lock-out/tag-out condition monitor. In this configuration, the controller can setoff an alarm and trip a circuit breaker or GFCI on its plugged-in primary electrical circuit as the circuit is re-energized. The controller is also able to setoff an alarm as other electrical circuits adjacent to the primary circuit are re-energized. The project is currently in the system development phase. Electronic circuit and tripping mechanism development are underway. System development is scheduled to be completed in early 2006. Candidate companies, which appear to provide the most promise of meeting the requirements listed below, will be evaluated based on their capability to complete the research and development needed to bring the EIPS into commercial production. This announcement does not obligate NIOSH to sign an MOU with any presented company. NIOSH reserves the right to establish a partnership based on engineering analysis/evaluation capabilities found under this announcement or other searches, if determined to be in the best interest of the government. EIPS Commercialization Capabilities Parameters: (Companies should try to meet as many of these requirements as possible, but highly innovative solutions without testing are not discouraged from presentation or response.) (A) Provide significant intellectual, engineering, and technical expertise in manufacturing personal electrical-injury protection equipment. This would include defining the cost and usability needs of the electrical personal protective equipment market. Also, assistance will be given in setting realistic product cost objectives and providing suggestions on how the EIPS can achieve product cost goals - Required; (B) Fabricate prototypes for test and evaluation - Required; (C) Provide expertise to NIOSH in designing and conducting field evaluations; (D) Review testing methods and recommend appropriate, new testing criteria; and (E) Review test results and recommend design modifications. NIOSH is seeking an innovative partner to address these major areas. A company that is qualified and currently producing electrical personal protective equipment is highly desired. However, past testing and design of equipment similar to EIPS is not required. If prior testing has been performed the test information and results should be provided. Interested parties responding to this request should provide detailed information regarding capabilities, test results, and cost data. Presentation material may consist of literature, electronic presentation, or video. (Samples and data provided to the government as part of this solicitation will not be returned to vendors following the completion of this project.) Vendors may be offered the opportunity to meet with representatives of the project team following a review of all submitted data. Data and/or product samples must be delivered to Shengke Zeng at NIOSH within two weeks (10 business days) of the closing of this announcement. Although every effort will be made to consider all information received, the government will not be obligated to evaluate information received after the two week period. If any data are to be excluded from exchange with any of the project participants, a statement of that fact shall be included by the vendors with a statement of propriety. Presentations from interested vendors are optional but encouraged. The government has identified May 23rd and 24th, 2006 for these presentations to be conducted. The Government reserves the right to identify an alternate meeting date if those identified are not viable for one or more interested vendors. Please send literature and direct inquiries directly to: Shengke Zeng, Project Officer, CDC/NIOSH, MS/G800 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505 Phone: 304-285-6103 Fax : 304-285-6047 szeng@cdc.gov (Please include 3 copies)
- Record
- SN01020595-W 20060406/060404220341 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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