Coronavirus: Mumbai Naval dockyard develops UV disinfection system

As India looks at what “new normal” will be, especially for large production organisations like dockyards and other naval establishments where a sizeable number of workers will resume work after the lifting of lockdown to contain COVID-19, there is a strong need for a sanitisation facility for worker's coveralls, tools, personal gadgets and masks.

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The Naval Dockyard (Mumbai) has manufactured a UV sanitisation bay to meet this emerging requirement. The UV bay will be utilised for decontamination of tools, clothes and other miscellaneous items, to control the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The challenging task required ingenuity to convert a large common room into a UV bay by fabrication of aluminium sheets electrical arrangements for UV-C lighting.

The facility utilises UV-C light source for Germicidal Irradiation towards sterilising items. Studies by reputed research agencies have proven the effect of UV-C on respiratory pathogens like SARS, Influenza etc. It has been observed that microbial pathogens become significantly less viable when exposed to UV-C of intensity 1 J/cm2 for 1 min or more, indicating effective sterilisation.

A similar facility has also been set up at the Naval Station (Karanja), where in addition to UV-C steriliser, an industrial oven has also been placed, which heats smaller sized belongings to 60°C, a temperature known to kill most microbes.

The facility is placed at the entry/exit points where it will help in mitigating COVID-19 transmission.