News

In a bid to stimulate business investment, promote economic growth, and aid with recovery in the wake of COVID-19, the UK government has introduced a super-deduction tax relief scheme, amongst other capital allowances. The temporary super-deduction program provides an alternative to traditional writing-down allowances. It will enable businesses to claim 130% first-year relief on qualifying plant and machinery investments between the 1st April 2021 and the 31st March 2023. Under this measure, businesses could save up to 25p in tax on every £1 they invest in eligible equipment.[1] Continue reading →

Read how Stultumshire Comprehensive School solved an unexpected plumbing problem using a Testo 883 Thermal Camera.

For International Women’s Day (8th Match 2021), we thought we would tell you about Hertha Ayrton, a pioneer in the field of electrical engineering and the first woman to be elected as a member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers, known these days as the IET (The Institute of Engineering and Technology). The IET is a multidisciplinary professional engineering institution, advisory body, and publisher of electrical regulations. Continue reading →

Fluke has identified a safety problem affecting certain Fluke 902 FC Clamp Meters and has issued a voluntary recall of these items. If you are affected by this recall please return your Fluke 902 FC Clamp Meter to Fluke and/or contact Fluke for more information. For further details, please read Fluke’s Customer Notice, or download their customer letter here. Continue reading →

A recent BBC News article has drawn attention to an NHS strategy in which pulse oximeters are being distributed to high-risk COVID-19 patients in order to monitor their progress at home. These £20 instruments provide an easy method of monitoring oxygen levels, allowing patients and doctors to identify silent hypoxia sooner and take action before situations become critical. Dr Matt Inada-Kim, ‘the doctor leading the [Covid Oximetry@home] scheme thinks everyone should consider buying one’.[1] Continue reading →

On the 4th January 2021, 82-year-old Brian Pinker became the first person to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine which was approved by the MHRA for UK distribution on the 30th December 2020.[1] This follows the MHRA’s approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on the 2nd December 2020[2]; inoculation using this vaccine began on the 8th December 2020 with Margaret Keenan becoming the first-ever recipient.[3] However, transporting, storing and distributing injections brings its own set of logistical problems as their viability is dependent on maintaining specific temperatures which vary from vaccine to vaccine. Monitoring and maintaining temperature is therefore essential to ensuring successful mass inoculation. Many companies, such as Comark, Testo and FilesThruTheAir, have developed temperature data logging solutions optimised for this purpose. Continue reading →

Friday 11th December 2020 is PASS Ltd’s Christmas Jumper Day in support of Save the Children and The Middlesbrough Food Bank. It promises to be entertaining with prizes for the best dressed and the best Christmas jumper, a charity raffle, and a highly competitive quiz. So, follow us here and on social media to keep up with the day’s events!! Continue reading →

Research into the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 has presented ‘overwhelming evidence’ that inhalation of the virus ‘represents a major transmission route for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).’[1] In response, leading bodies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)[2] and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)[3], advise improving air ventilation in enclosed spaces in addition to following existing guidance, e.g. washing hands, maintaining social distancing, and wearing a face mask. Monitoring CO2 concentration provides an easy way of assessing air quality and maintaining good air ventilation. PASS Ltd offers a range of indoor air quality monitors suitable for this purpose, including Chauvin Arnoux’s CA 1510 IAQ Tester. Continue reading →

As part of the government’s attempts to build back greener after coronavirus, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has revealed a Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. This billion-pound program is aimed at improving energy efficiency in schools, hospitals and other public buildings. It is part of the UK’s efforts to reduce the public sector’s greenhouse gas emissions by 50% in a bid to meet legally binding targets of net zero emissions by 2050. Portable energy loggers, such as Chauvin Arnoux’s PEL103, are vital tools when it comes to measuring energy consumption and efficiency. These relatively inexpensive instruments can be used to establish an initial benchmark prior to implementing changes. Additionally, PELs can pinpoint where improvements would be most effective and can be used to monitor progress over time. Continue reading →

When the UK entered lockdown on the 23rd March 2020 many offices, schools, universities, leisure facilities and tourist attractions were forced to shut. Now, as the UK begins to re-open, concerns of social distancing, hygiene and sanitation have been raised. One such concern is the increased risk of Legionella outbreaks caused by a build-up of Legionella pneumophilia bacteria in the stagnant water systems of buildings that have been closed due to lockdown. Continue reading →