Goggles recalled after 16m fail safety checks

ALMOST 16million protective goggles were being recalled from hospitals and the front line last night after failing safety tests against Covid-19.

The eye shields, purchased during the national pandemic stockpile in 2009, were said to have been designed for lower-risk scenarios. A national standards body has warned they should not be used to protect medical staff.

An alert was sent out to hospitals yesterday as the Government scrambled to limit the damage. A total stockpile of nearly 26million “Tiger Eye” protectors failed to meet standards at their time of purchase under the Gordon Brown administration.

Ministers are said to be furious at the apparent oversight by predecessors. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “The safety of health, care and all frontline staff is our top priority. The ‘Tiger Eye protectors’ were bought in 2009 and were in CE marked boxes. These were rechecked, and following these assessments, we have issued an alert to clinical settings advising against their use and we are removing them from the supply chain.”

The urgent withdrawal comes after repeated warnings over shortages of personal protective equipment, and just three days after The Telegraph disclosed how thousands of gowns brought from Turkey last month had also been impounded after inspectors found they fell short of UK standards.

Tiger Eye goggles were only originally advised for low-risk settings. The British Standards Institution has now advised against their use in a Covid-19 setting after health officials requested for the stockpile to be checked. Of the 25.6million eye protectors in the stockpile, 15.9million pairs had already been distributed. The remaining 9.7million are in quarantine.

“We are arranging replacement stock for trusts who need immediate supply,” the spokesman added.