A COMPANY is helping the fight against the spread of hospital superbugs with its new product.

Radal Technology has launched Speechpod, a device designed to remind hospital staff and visitors about health precautions.

The firm, based in Billington Road, Burnley, has already received about £50,000-worth of orders for nearly 500 of the devices from hospitals across the country, including Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Strathclyde Hospital.

Speechpod allows up to seven different messages to be downloaded on to the gadget, which is activated when someone walks nearby.

It can be delayed on a timer to give a voice message warning people to carry out a specific task - such as washing their hands after they are about to leave a public toilet.

The invention comes after health bosses at Royal Blackburn and Burnley General Hospitals said staff, visitors and patients must wash their hands to combat deadly infections such as MRSA.

Brent Dunleavey, director of Radal Technology, said: "We have been working behind the scenes with the infection control people and we have had some great responses from NHS trusts.

"This year in Scotland they are carrying out a hand hygiene campaign and all the big-wigs have been saying hand hygiene is the best way of controlling the spread of infections.

"But they can be used right across the board in any industry.

"They can be used to remind people in factories to put on hard hats or high visibility clothing on when entering a restricted area."

Radal Technology, was formed by Mr Dunleavey in 1997 and employs nine staff.

The company won the Innovation and Design category in last year's Lancashire Telegraph Business Awards for Cig-Arrette.

The automated smoke detector was designed for the implementation of Britain's smoking bans and tells people to stub out their cigs.

Radal exports to more than 20 countries and this year is on course to double its turnover to £1.5million.