Page last updated: 1 November 2021

No change since last status update

BOC is taking the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation very seriously, both in our responsibility to our own people and the need to maintain continuity of supply for our customers.

BOC’s continuity plan covers communications, containment activities, crisis management and maintenance of essential business activities and we remain confident that we will be able to maintain essential gas supplies within Ireland.

At present, there are no supply issues for the delivery of essential gases to our customers in Ireland.

We have an extensive and robust infrastructure to ensure ongoing supplies and have implemented a range of pre-emptive measures to ensure this continues.

This page will contain the latest information regarding the availability and supply of our products during this time.

For the latest information on store and agent opening times, please check Store Finder.

Medical Oxygen Availability

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, BOC has been successful in ensuring supplies of medical oxygen to critical care facilities and hospitals despite a considerable increase in demand. BOC monitors stock levels on a national basis daily and has maintained hospital stock levels on average above 80%. The plants producing medical oxygen have ample capacity to meet the demands from the Healthcare sector.

There have been individual cases where the demand for medical oxygen has exceeded the vaporisation and delivery capability of a hospital’s liquid oxygen system. This should not be confused with low stock or lack of product availability. For those cases where unprecedented demand has been greater than the installed system capacity, we have worked in a co-ordinated manner with the DHSC, the NHS central team and local trusts in England, Wales and NI and the HSE in Republic of Ireland, to increase the capabilities of systems where required. BOC has undertaken in excess of 30 system upgrades and we are in the process of working on a number of others.

Medical Gases

BOC is working closely with Government departments within Ireland to develop processes and procedures to cope with an increased demand of medical gases associated with the current COVID-19 outbreak. This includes priority planning for the most critical hospitals and patients to ensure oxygen is available for patient treatment.

Medical Liquid Oxygen

In accordance with Department of Health guidance, wherever possible, piped / bulk oxygen supplies should be used to deliver oxygen to patients requiring care during the COVID-19 outbreak.

To facilitate this, BOC monitors hospital bulk oxygen storage levels on a 24/7 basis via our Delivery Planning Centre and installed telemetry systems. This means we can forward-plan deliveries in a flexible and proactive way to ensure that hospital oxygen supplies are always maintained above agreed safe storage levels.

Medical Oxygen Cylinders

BOC has a large medical gas fleet with multiple medical production branches throughout Ireland. In preparation for an escalation of COVID-19 cases, BOC has been building stocks of medical gases, where able, to ensure our supply chain is in the best possible position to respond to customer requirements.

Customers with medical oxygen are being encouraged to manage their cylinders in an effective manner and ensure that empty cylinders are available promptly for collection and reprocessing by BOC.

Please be vigilant and ensure that your medical gas cylinders, both within wards and storage areas, are kept as secure as possible to deter potential misuse or theft.

Industrial, Sureserve and Special Products

There are no supply issues for delivery of cylinder gases at present due to the spread of COVID-19.

However, it is of the upmost importance that customers manage their cylinder holdings effectively during this time. This includes ensuring that empty cylinders are returned to cylinder stores for collection in a timely manner so that they are available for BOC to collect and reprocess.

Industrial Bulk Liquid & Cryospeed

There are no supply issues for delivery of bulk liquid or Cryospeed gases at present due to the spread of COVID-19.

Customer Engineering Services (CES)

The current COVID-19 outbreak has seen a large increase in demand on the resources of the CES team. We will be prioritising emergency calls from customers based on the critical nature of their business. All other scheduled activity will be considered on a case by case basis. Please only contact BOC regarding your installation in an emergency, via the usual channel. Thank you for your understanding.

Gas & Gear Stores and Agents

For the latest information on store and agent opening times, please check Store Finder.

PLEASE NOTE

BOC does not approve the use of industrial or special gases grade oxygen for medical use and will not under any circumstances sell this grade of oxygen to members of the public who we suspect may intend to misuse the product, putting themselves and others at risk of harm. Medical oxygen is a licenced medical gas and as such can only be supplied to approved Healthcare Professionals for clinical use.