Lead2Fix

There is no better example to illustrate the advantages of VarioShield lead lined plaster panels than the Alrijne Hospital. Completion company, Boom & Zn. in Rijswijk is working on the x-ray and low care treatments rooms in the Accident and Emergency department there. Jeffrey Boom does not mince words. “I don’t even want to think about getting those huge, heavy, leaden panels through the halls, in the elevator and up to the third floor. It’s happened more than once that I’ve sustained damage during transport or had to correct bent panels during installation. That’s all history now. The practical VarioShield panels remain completely straight and you can push a pallet from the truck to the construction site all alone.” His colleague, Emilio Rodrigues adds, “Avoiding damage is very important with radiation protection equipment. A scratch or a dent and a panel can be rejected.”

No waiting, just working.

Both gentlemen were primarily enthusiastic about the ease and speed in handling the product. Boom relates, “With a panel that’s 2.60 meters long, you need to work with three men; two to position the panel and one to screw it down. That means one man is always waiting! With VarioShield, we can work with two men or alone. No waiting, just working.” The VarioShield^Plus panels are being used in the Alrijne Hospital. Rodrigues: “The overlap really saves a lot of time. Measuring, cutting and sticking horizontal strips is no longer necessary. And each handmade strip has a chance of leakage. The VarioShield^Plus overlap is immediately radiation proof.”

More profit

Working with the lead lined plaster panels of Lead2Fix truly increases profits. Exactly how much, Boom can’t say. “But it’s a question of adding things up: simplified logistics, negligible product damage, fewer hands needed, a faster work pace and they’re ideal in situations where you have to take the environment into account. Especially at a hospital such as Alrijne Leiderdorp.”

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Project: A&E Alrijne Hospital, Leiderdorp
Client: Boom & Zn.
Products: VarioShield^Plus, corner solutions, wall sockets, all plumbing, incl. water pipes and drainpipes, drains, and all fittings.

The medical construction company, Medical Building Solutions (MBS), is building a turnkey clinic for the Turkish hospital group Acibadem, in the former Municipal Transport Authority’s office in Amsterdam Westpoort. The clinic on the Arlandaweg will carry out diagnostic research studies and perform outpatient treatments and minor surgeries.

More lead lined plaster panels

MBS uses VarioShield panels from Lead2Fix for the protection of spaces housing the CT scanner, mammography and the X-ray equipment. Project leader, Tom van de Groes, says, “We are increasingly receiving more projects in our business with larger diagnostics, and dentists, and that means we are applying more lead lined plaster panels. It is an advantage then if you can deploy products that save time and are easy to use.” Rick Philipart of MBS affirms these words. “In existing office buildings, for example, the elevator space is limited and it’s difficult to manoeuvre large materials. Panels measuring less than one and a half meters can be pushed through the whole building without any problem.”

Choice of building

MBS is a turnkey medical construction company with an impressive track record in the field of medical facilities, including cleanrooms. Van de Groes: “We build and rebuild, renovate and maintain, but we also advise on the choice of building; this choice can have a huge influence on the logistics and functionality of a clinic or cleanroom. Our turnkey concept, both in terms of project management as well as the technical maintenance, ensures our clients have less to worry about.

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Project: Office to clinic conversion
Client: Medical Building Solutions BV
Product: VarioShield

The new Zaans Medical Centre near Amsterdam measures 39,000 m2 and is the first lean designed and built hospital in Europe. All rooms where work is carried out with sources of radiation have been completed by Kwakman Afbouw. It was the first time the company from Volendam used the VarioShieldPlus panels of Lead2Fix.

Logistical solution

Project manager Kees Kwakman is very happy with the handy panels that have a smart overlap: “We used 1.35-metre-long panels, which were much easier to handle than the standard panels. They are much lighter and far easier to manoeuvre when transporting on pallets at the construction site. With this project, where storage room was very scarce, we were constantly looking for logistical solutions, so these panels are ideal. The panels are also very easy to install in small rooms. The whole installation process worked very smoothly: the overlap gives you an immediate radiation-proof horizontal seam.”

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Project: Zaans Medical Centre, Zaandam (Netherlands)
Client: Kwakman Afbouw
Product: VarioShield^Plus
Surface area of lead lined plaster panels: 1,500 m2

Proton therapy is a sophisticated method for destroying cancer tissue, whereby high-energy protons bombard the damaged tissue. At the end of 2017, this treatment will become available in the Proton Therapy Center of the UMCG in Groningen, the capitol of Hollands most northern province. This treatment center will be equipped with a 220-ton cyclotron, which generates the protons, as well as a CT scanner. The foundation will be extra firm, and the roof will consist of three-metre-thick concrete.

Double lead lined plaster panels with overlap

Unipé Afbouw makes rooms subjected to radiation safe for patients and staff. Supervisor Arjan Kregel of Unipé Afbouw: “For the walls of the CT scanning room, we have used double lead lined plaster panels with overlap, each lined with 2 mm thick lead sheets. We have had them custom-made by Lead2Fix. Being 1930 mm by 600 mm, they were easy enough to handle with two people. Also the transport in the elevator was straightforward. All we needed was a panel trolley. No complaining from me about this system,” says Kregel.

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Project: Proton Therapy Center of the University Medical Center Groningen
Client: Unipé Afbouw
Product: VarioShield^Plus
Surface area of lead lined plaster panels: 500 m2

The requirements of Brands Bouw, regular contractor of the Scheper Hospital, were clear: an environmentally-friendly solution, safe working conditions during construction and as low as possible physical strain for the technicians installing the walls.

Transport and handling

Richard Schimmel, supervisor at Brands Bouw: “Within two months we finished the construction of the PET/CT scanning rooms and three preparation rooms. The latter involves working with radioactive isotopes, so radiation protection had to be provided. We used VarioShield panels, and I am very happy with the result. First of all, everything was delivered made to measure. For a number of walls we used 2100 mm long lead lined plaster panels, for the 3500 mm walls we used lead lined plaster panels of 1500 mm up to 1750 mm with a thinned section on the one side and a horizontal overlap on the other. We cut and milled the adapter pieces on location. It was all easy enough to transport and handle with just two people, and we were left with very little waste.” The PET/CT scanning room passed the test and is now in use.

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Project: PET/CT scanner room at Scheper Hospital in Emmen (Netherlands)
Client: Brands Bouwgroep
Products: VarioShield and VarioShield^Plus panels with 2mm and 3 mm lead sheets, 2 mm and 3 mm lead strips , lead wall sockets, lead sealings for drain pipes and electricity cables.
Surface area of lead lined plaster panels: 400 m2

The three hospitals of the Sint Maarten general hospital will come together in a new campus on Liersesteenweg in Mechelen. The complex will cover an area of 114,000 m2, and will accommodate 733 beds and house fourteen operation rooms (ORs). As part of the installation and fixed furnishings Project Team, Jansen Building Group is responsible for, among other things, the installation of the operation rooms. As these rooms contain equipment that generate radiation, all ORs are fitted with lead lined plaster panels. Sven van de Putte, foreman at Jansen Building Group: “During the installation work of the ORs we have used no less than 1,700 m2 of VarioShield and VarioShield^Plus panels lined with 2 mm and 3 mm lead sheets. These are heavy panels, so the fact that they are relatively easy to handle is quite something.”

Economical choice

Koen Dreesen, head of purchasing at Jansen, has his own perspective on this: “Being a purchaser, figures are very important to me. What is the result at the end of the day? Is the chosen option a good solution, both from a technical and financial point of view? As such large projects take two to three years to complete, the first major advantage was that a fixed price was given for the entire duration of the project. A second advantage is that the lines of communication are very short and effective, as are the deliveries. As it is possible to use customised sizes, there is little to no waste, and therefore no losses either. The final, but most important advantage is the high number of units installed compared with standard systems. Put all these factors together and you can clearly see that we have made the right choice, both in financial and technical terms.”

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Project: Sint Maarten General Hospital in Mechelen (Belgium)
Client: Jansen Building Group
Products: VarioShield and VarioShield^Plus
Surface area of lead lined plaster panels: 1,700 m2