FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WORLD-CLASS PROTECTIVE SWEATBANDS IN PLAY FOR SPORTS WITHOUT HELMETS

Forcefield suggests Canadians dodge head injury with new style head gear

June 1, 2016

TORONTO, ON – Summer 2016 marks the launch of safety certified headgear, new to Canada, and it comes enclosed in a headband, not a helmet. Forcefield FF Ltd. (New York) claims its protective sweatbands significantly reduce impact force and have CEII certification from INSPEC to prove it.

ForceField protective sweatbands are lightweight, ventilated and adjustable – all the properties and benefits of a regular sweatband –with impact absorbing helmet polymers inside. “Our product offers increased protection against impact and abrasions at crucial impact zones,” says inventor Dr. C. J. Abraham.

“It’s an easy way to protect your head without interfering with the skill of the game in sports like soccer, basketball, curling, figure skating, cheerleading and at the playground”, says Dr. Abraham. “While it may not be practical to wear a helmet in all sports, head safety is always important. There’s no easier way to add a layer of protection than with a product that looks and wears like a sweatband.”

According to the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation (ONF) concussionsontario.org and braininjurycanada.ca, a concussion occurs once every 3 minutes in Canada and the incidence is on the rise. “An estimated 1.5 million Canadians are living with an acquired brain injury (ABI),” reports Harry Zarins, Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Canada.

The first Canadian Forcefield customers, like Chantal B. from Quebec, don’t want to be the next statistic, “J’aimerais être la première de mon club de curling à porter fièrement un bandeau de sécurité pour protéger ma tête en cas de chute sur la glace. Je pense que ça prouverait qu’il devient plus important de penser “sécurité”, même si certaines personnes se moquent un peu de cette attitude!”

Soccer Dad Bob L. expressed his relief, “The Forcefield band will satisfy Nick’s need for style and my need to sleep at night.”

More and more, we see headgear being recommended and even mandated, in sports where the risk and severity of head injuries is neither catastrophic nor results from high speed impact. “The risks of injury from accidental falls, collisions or repetitive impacts to the head remain just as real as those from a body check against the boards at top speed,” reminds Dr. Abraham.

It’s been years since Dr. Scott Delaney, at McGill’s University Health Centre, found soccer concussions to be twice as likely without headgear. He was the first to study soft, protective headgear out in the field, unusual for an industry that typically studies impact in the lab. Dr. Delaney found headgear to significantly decrease the number of concussions, abrasions, lacerations and contusions and that headgear did not encourage players to be more aggressive. Dr. Delaney hoped the study would persuade some parents to consider headgear for their children.

Here in Canada, the focus is on creating concussion policy in all sports that expose the brain to the risk of injury. Moreover, the Canadian Government stepped up to fund concussion research with a budget of millions. Research has already helped with new diagnostic, treatment and return to play guidelines. Health Canada released “Concussion Ed” APP, June 1, 2016.

With advances in headgear technology and medical research, can we eliminate brain injuries altogether? “No. Dr. Brian Hunt, Canadian Neurosurgeon, cautions, “Remember, helmets and headbands do not prevent concussions. Their cushioning effect reduces the degree of kinetic energy directed to the head and the brain.” As a result of Dr. Hunt’s pioneering safety initiative, ThinkFirst BC, Canadian organizations continue to raise concussion awareness and educate children, youth, parents, teachers and coaches to motivate them to stay safe.

When looking to minimize head injuries, Forcefield hopes coaches, teachers and parents will include protective headbands in their equipment check list, recommending players gear up with its sweatbands whenever it makes sense to do so.

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To learn more about Forcefield sweatbands in Canada, please contact:

Gigi Baxter, c/o TransCanada Network, Public Relations and Distribution
6007 – 2100 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M6S 5A5
Office: (800) 747-6882 Text: (705) 820-8555
Email: FF@forcefieldheadbands.ca

Please Tweet your comments and first impressions on using safety sweatbands in non-collision sports @ffheadgear

References

About the Need

According to Health Canada, One out of every 230 Canadian children is hospitalized each year with a serious trauma, 20 percent with serious head injuries. Approximately 6,000 Canadian children sustain a major head injury, resulting in life-long disability each year. This is just the number that is reported – it is believed that five to ten times that number of children and youth actually suffer severe trauma and preventable injuries every year. Think First (now Parachute) reported that thirty per cent of all brain injuries are sustained by children and youth, many of them while participating in sports and recreational activities. According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information falls are the leading cause of head injury hospitalizations among children, youth and adults over 60.

About the Inventor

Dr. C.J.Abraham, P.E., CPC, CChE, FRSC, LFAIC, DEE, IH, FTI, MS, PhD, JD is Technical Director at Scientific Advisory Services Ltd. He has been a member of ASTM International for over 50 years as well as a contributing delegate to the ISO and SPEC member of USA Hockey. He is an OSHA specialist in safety engineering, has a background in biomechanical engineering and human factors and over fifty years of experience in polymers (including their testing for absorption and dissipation of forces in headgear in all collision and contact sports). As a result of Dr. Abraham’s expert testimony in personal injury and litigation cases, many products have been made safer.

About Forcefield FF

Forcefield FF (NA) Ltd. outranks the protective headgear market in the United States in sales and test results for soccer, basketball and cheerleading. It’s protective sweatbands are used in over 15 sports, recreational activities and medical applications. The bands are universally suited for non-collision sports and include both cotton and neoprene styles in a variety of colours. The National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) in the United States lists all styles of Forcefield sweatbands for use by high school students on it’s website. The product is FIFA compliant. The inventor remains actively involved in the company. Forcefield protective sweatbands are carried in over 500 independent sports stores across the United States and already protect hundreds of thousands around the world from toddlers learning to walk, through to seniors concerned about falls as well as youth, adults and pro athletes in between.

About Inspec International

According to it’s website, INSPEC International is the world’s leading independent organization for the testing & certification of personal protective equipment & the supply of related laboratory test equipment. Notified Body #0194 http://www.inspec-international.com/

About the Brain Injury Association of Canada

For ten years, the Brain Injury Canada has worked diligently to build a national movement with the capacity to create a better life for those who suffer a brain injury, along with their families and caregivers through prevention, awareness and support initiatives.

About Health Canada

Health Canada has always put the Health and Safety of our children at the top of the list.
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/pubs/child-enfant/advisor-conseillere/index-eng.php#a8

Health Canada’s most recent community service announcement proceeds the movie Concussion with Will Smith in Canadian theatres, and may be viewed on our facebook page /ffheadgear

About CBC and McGill

Cbc.ca and mcgill reported on Dr. Delaney’s research, 2007
http://www.cbc.ca/news/soccer-concussions-twice-as-likely-without-helmet-study-1.664249

https://www.mcgill.ca/channels/news/muhc-out-playing-field-innovative-study-soccer-headgear-25966

According to it’s website, The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is one of the world’s foremost academic health centres. Building on the tradition of medical leadership of its founding hospitals, the MUHC provides exceptional multidisciplinary patient-centric care. Affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University, the MUHC continues to shape the course of adult and pediatric medicine by attracting clinical and research expertise from around the world, assessing the latest in medical technology, and training the next generation of medical professionals.

Medical studies have begun being published based on the research funded, in part, by the Canadian governments infusion of millions. How severely mild brain trauma can affect a young person’s brain: https://muhc.ca/newsroom/news/finding-new-test-children-consussions