Student's design solutions

Argyll East School

Washing Hands: This is the best way to stop germs spreading. Wash your hands: -Before eating food. -After playing with your pets. -After going to the toilet. How to wash your hands: 1.Use warm water and soap. 2.Wash between your fingers and around your nails too. 3.Wash and dry your hands as you sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". This is how long you should be washing and drying for. 4.Dry your hands on a clean towel. John la Roche, engineer comments... · Effectiveness Using a squirt bottle to dispense water for hand washing is a good idea, but if it is used by people with dirty hands germs could be transferred. I like the idea of a special rain collector draining into the main dispenser bottle. When there is no rain it would be necessary to find water from another source and pour it into the rain collector, but this should be quite possible. Also the idea of adding soap to the squirt bottle is a good idea to help with hand cleaning. In a school with lots of pupils one squirt bottle of water would not provide many hand washes, so it could be necessary to provide quite a number of these devices, depending on the number of children at the school. · Durability Since all components are plastic they will be easily cleaned and not subject to corrosion. Plastic will deteriorate in time due to UV radiation from the sun, but since components are cheap, spare containers might be provided to replace components if the break. The glued joints between the rain collector and squeeze bottle might be difficult to maintain and keep watertight. Can spare parts be provided and stored? Would it be sufficiently robust to stand up to handling by sometimes clumsy school children? · User-friendliness The device should be reasonably easy to use, but it could be a little fragile when used by lots of clumsy students, who might knock it over or break the joints. Squeezing the trigger with dirty hands would provide contamination for other users. Perhaps someone (maybe the teacher) with clean hands could be asked to squeeze the trigger. As mentioned above, the device would not wash many hands, particularly when there was no rain to fill it up. When this happens water would need to come from another source and poured into the rain collector. While school students in NZ are fortunate to have warm water and clean towels, it is unlikely these would be available in most PNG schools. · Cost Since it should be possible to make this device from used plastic bottles, which might be locally available, it should be very cheap to make, and a number could be provided at each school. However, because the components may deteriorate with sunlight or wear a supply of replacement bottles and parts would be a good idea. · Communication Since the device is simple and obvious, with suitable discussions in class about the need for hand washing, it should be a good way to convey the important messages about health and hygiene. Singing the song "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" would help to remind other students about hand washing and ensure sufficient time is taken to wash hands properly. John la Roche, engineer comments... · Effectiveness The idea of using a film case over the hosepipe is good for cleanliness, although if water does not run down the pipe until the storage container is tilted, I wonder why it is necessary to cover the end of the pipe. If all the water is in the main container and it has to be tilted to fill the hand-washing container, not many children would be able to wash their hands before the water ran out. Schools in NZ are lucky to have warm water for hand washing, but there are very few schools in PNG that have this luxury. It would be necessary to use cold water. While it is good to catch rainwater for hand washing, there will be times when it does not rain and students will still need to wash their hands. When this happens it will be necessary to have another source of water handy. I was uncertain of the purpose of the two milk bottles lying on their side. Were the two containers on their side just to raise the level of the main container? · Durability Since all components are plastic they will be easily cleaned and not subject to corrosion. Plastic will deteriorate in time due to UV radiation from the sun, but since components are cheap, spare containers might be provided to replace components if they break. Can spare parts be provided and stored? Would it be sufficiently robust to stand up to handling by sometimes clumsy school children? · User-friendliness Unfortunately I feel this device would not be very easy to use by PNG students. Having to remove a film case of the end of the hose pipe and having to tilt the main container all with dirty hands before washing would leave germs for the next person and possibly contaminate the user's cleaned hands after hand washing. · Cost Since used milk bottles and ice cream containers should be reasonably to find and the hosepipe is cheap, the cost will be very small. However, because the components may deteriorate with sunlight a supply of replacement parts would be a good idea. Communication The small readily visible device should send a message to pupils to be careful with water as well as the need to wash their hands. Class lessons to make children aware of the need for hand washing and personal hygiene will be important. John la Roche, engineer comments.. · Effectiveness Using rainwater is a good idea, but the open top of a half-litre drink bottle will not catch much rain, and there will be times when it is not raining when children need to wash their hands. During this time it will be necessary to find water from another source. Is the cloth over the hosepipe to act as a filter? If so it would need to be cleaned from time to time. The second ice cream container for washing hands will need emptying and cleaning between users if germs are not to be transferred. Durability Since all components are plastic they will be easily cleaned and not subject to corrosion. Plastic will deteriorate in time due to UV radiation from the sun, but since components are cheap, spare containers might be provided to replace components if they break. Can spare parts be provided and stored? Would it be sufficiently robust to stand up to handling by sometimes clumsy school children? · User-friendliness Unfortunately I feel this device would not be very easy to use by PNG students. Perhaps the outlet hose is raised after use to prevent all the water running out, but this would need to be held up in some way, and lowering with dirty hands before washing would leave germs for the next person and possibly contaminate the user's cleaned hands after hand washing when the hose is raised again. The hand-washing container could also become contaminated. · Cost Since used drink bottles and ice cream containers should be reasonably to find and the hosepipe is cheap, the cost will be very small. More than one device would be needed at each school and because the components may deteriorate with sunlight a supply of replacement containers would be a good idea. · Communication The small readily visible device should send a message to pupils to be careful with water as well as the need to wash their hands. Class lessons to make children aware of the need for hand washing and personal hygiene will be important.   John la Roche, engineer comments... · Effectiveness Using rainwater is a good idea, but the open to of a half-litre drink bottle, which is then stored in a 2 litre milk bottle. However the drink bottle will not catch much rain and there will be times when it is not raining when children need to wash their hands. During this time it will be necessary to find water from another source. The cloth filter is a good idea for dirty water, which will have to be used when there is no rain, but the cloth will need to be cleaned. How can the filter cloth be cleaned? · Durability Since all components are plastic they will be easily cleaned and not subject to corrosion. I would doubt that the tape holding things together would last too long. Plastic will deteriorate in time due to UV radiation from the sun, but since components are cheap, spare containers might be provided to replace components if they break. Can spare parts be provided and stored? Would it be sufficiently robust to stand up to handling by sometimes clumsy school children? · User-friendliness Unfortunately I feel this device would not be very easy to use by PNG students. Removing the cork from the outlet hose might be difficult and dirty hands before washing would leave germs for the next person and possibly contaminate the user's cleaned hands after hand washing. The hand-washing container could also become contaminated. · Cost Since used drink bottles and milk containers should be reasonably to find and the hosepipe is cheap, the cost will be very small. More than one device would be needed at each school and because the components may deteriorate with sunlight a supply of replacement containers would be a good idea. · Communication The small readily visible device should send a message to pupils to be careful with water as well as the need to wash their hands. Class lessons to make children aware of the need for hand washing and personal hygiene will be important.   John la Roche, engineer comments. · Effectiveness Using a coke bottle with enough water for the whole class is a good idea and having a soap squeezer to put enough water into a cup is also a good idea. Half a litre might be excessive when water is very scarce, but pushing the soap squeezer would allow a smaller quantity of water if necessary. A supply of clean water in coke bottles could be kept ready to replenish the system when needed. The picture shows the hand-washing cup at a low level. Would this be too low for convenient use? · Durability Since all components are plastic they will be easily cleaned and not subject to corrosion. Plastic will deteriorate in time due to UV radiation from the sun, but since components are cheap, spare containers might be provided to replace components if they break. Can spare parts be provided and stored? Would it be sufficiently robust to stand up to handling by sometimes clumsy school children? · User-friendliness The good points are easy pouring water in from coke bottles from the top and using the soap bottle squeezer should be relatively easy. However using dirty hands on the soap squeezer before washing would leave germs for the next person. The hand-washing container could also become contaminated. · Cost Since used drink ice cream containers and soap dispensers should be reasonably to find and the pipe is cheap, the cost will be very small. Because the components may deteriorate with sunlight a supply of replacement containers would be a good idea. Communication This readily visible device should send a message to pupils to be careful with water as well as the need to wash their hands. Class lessons to make children aware of the need for hand washing and personal hygiene will be important. More pages of solutions from: Glen Eden Intermediate Saint Kentigern's College Waikowhai Intermediate School Limehills School Hukarere Girl's College