Fire & Hazard Protection

Siemens ensures regulatory compliance and maximum protection at PETNET Solutions

PETNET Solutions’ radiopharmaceutical drug manufacturing facility in Lisses, near Paris, requires special fire safety and security measures to keep staff and assets safe. Siemens has installed an integrated solution that comprises fire detection, access control, video surveillance and building automation.  An open architecture approach was taken to ensure interoperability across all technical and security systems and processes, enabling reliable, safe and secure medicine production.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is an imaging technique that uses radioactivity in the diagnosis of disease. Before entry into a PET scanner, minute quantities of chemicals – called radiopharmaceuticals or radiotracers – are introduced into the body of the patient, either by intravenous injection or inhalation.

A subsidiary of Siemens Healthcare, PETNET Solutions operates the world’s largest network of PET radiopharmaceutical drug manufacturing facilities and dispensing nuclear pharmacies. PETNET manufactures and dispenses PET drug products for hospitals, clinics and research facilities.  It is imperative that doses meet all applicable standards for quality and purity – from production until the expiry date. Throughout more than 50 PETNET sites around the world, standardised equipment and processes ensure the necessary consistency.

To keep all staff and company assets safe from over-exposure to the radioactivity constantly present, PET radiopharmacies require special fire safety and security measures, such as continuous monitoring of background radioactivity levels. Regulatory compliance is assured with Siemens’ Compact Monitoring Technology (CMT) for critical monitoring of room conditions, in addition to radioactivity meters.  It is also important for the company to have a clear overview of all systems in order to keep all processes efficient, secure and to comply with regulatory production standards.

Competition in the industry is extremely fierce, so maximum efficiencies for processes and the highest level of business continuity and uninterrupted production are critical.

The PETNET team is able to view images from video surveillance cameras, lock and unlock doors, monitor fire alarms and check air quality and radioactivity levels remotely from a single control point.  Cameras are installed throughout the site, especially in the more sensitive locations; this ensures operators can view all company processes and activities from a safe vantage point. Critical events and alarms can be investigated by authorised personnel from a number of touchscreens across the site, ensuring that the manufacturing process operates safely and reliably.

The radiopharmacy now benefits from a future-proofed solution that effectively and efficiently combines life science systems with total building automation.

www.siemens.com/buildingtechnologies

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