IT'S AUTOMATIC $

From baby to toddler,
goto www.omiltd.com to see visual displayof how each of the OMI device operates.

OCCUPATIONAL & MEDICAL INNOVATIONS LIMIT 2002-06-12 ASX-SIGNAL-G

HOMEX - Brisbane

+++++++++++++++++++++++++
A surgical scalpel designed by a Logan based biomedical company is to
be put to the test in the US this month, with surgeons from thirty
leading hospitals using the device in a mass trial.

The Occupational & Medical Innovations Limited (OMI) designed device
will be exposed to some of the world's leading surgical specialists
in the trial, organised by a major multi-national scalpel supplier.

"We're now being taken very seriously by some of the biggest
multi-nationals in the world," said OMI founder and Managing Director
Mr Bruce Kiehne.

The OMI scalpel has unique safety features and Mr Kiehne is confident
exposure of this kind could lead to lucrative contracts.

"The US is introducing laws designed to minimise public liability
suits. These insure that where a safety product is available it
should be introduced and our scalpel falls into that category," he
said.

The scalpel has already been trialled in Brisbane by leading
Queensland Liver Transplant surgeon at the Princess Alexandra
Hospital, Professor Russell Strong. He hailed the instrument as a
success and a breakthrough in safety standards.

"The main difference between conventional scalpels and this design is
in the safety features," Professor Strong said.

"The OMI scalpel can be rendered completely safe, which is very
important in an operating theatre. Injuries can occur when scalpel
blades are applied or removed from handles or simply when the
instrument is being handled or passed during an operation," he said.

Professor Strong should know. He suffered a serious injury, severing
a nerve and tendon in his right hand, from a mishandled scalpel. Mr
Kiehne said that a similar scenario on a television program inspired
him to invent the safety scalpel.

"In the program, one of the doctors was badly cut by a scalpel and my
wife said there must be a way to prevent that from happening, so I
started designing an instrument that would be as close as possible to
a normal scalpel in weight, feel and appearance, but safer Mr Kiehne
said.

In the OMI safety scalpel, the blade is encased in a protective sheath
and can be attached to either a plastic or a stainless steel handle.
The safety sheath slides down when the scalpel is being used, but
then slides back to cover the blade when not in use.

"The prototype was developed and modified with input from leading
doctors. Now we have an instrument, which is a Queensland invention,
with the potential to reduce scalpel related injuries for health
workers around the world."

The safety scalpel has the potential to be a lucrative venture for
the Logan based company. The worldwide market for scalpels is
estimated at 1 billion units per year. Mr Kiehne is confident the
feedback from US surgeons will be as positive as that from Professor
Strong.

"This is a very exciting time for OMI," said Mr Kiehne.

"We've come from very humble beginnings and an enormous amount of
work has gone into getting the company to this stage and to know that
we're now getting world-wide attention is quite an incredible
feeling."

B Kiehne
MANAGING DIRECTOR