Establishments that handle dangerous materials must have an emergency safety shower on site. These are not common showers for daily ablutions, they’re specialised safety equipment used to flush or irrigate hazardous materials off a person’s skin, clothing and out of their eyes, fast. There are many different types of emergency safety showers, plus specialised eyewash equipment for the delicate eye area. Let’s learn more about this important first-aid system.
Which Types of Businesses Need Emergency Safety Showers?
If your workplace handles or stores hazardous chemicals, then you need to have an emergency safety shower and eyewash equipment on location. Laboratories, for example, especially ones that handle corrosive chemicals, need a safety shower and eyewash zone. An emergency safety shower is a first-aid measure — not a risk control measure — so to decide whether or not you require these kinds of facilities, you need to perform a risk assessment. According to Safe Work Australia, first aid requirements will vary from one workplace to another, and before installing an emergency safety shower, you’ll need to consider the type of work you do, what hazardous materials are used or stored, your location, and number of staff.
What is an Emergency Safety Shower?
Essentially, emergency safety showers are pieces of equipment or devices used as an emergency measure to flush away dangerous chemicals that have come in contact with a person. There are many different types of safety showers, including indoor or outdoor facilities, insulated safety showers with tanks, and wall-mounted, plumbed versions. You can also have plumbed eye-wash stations installed and purchase portable eye-wash stations or bottles too, for travelling off site.
Why Emergency Safety Showers Are So Important
These rinsing or flushing devices are crucial to keep people safe, as they use a rapid irrigation system to remove the hazardous substance quickly before it causes harm. Emergency safety showers and eyewash equipment should be only about 10-15 seconds away by foot from the hazardous material, on the same level as the hazard and also without obstructions on the way. Safety showers have heavy-duty nozzles to flush hazardous chemicals away from clothing or skin effectively, and they can even help extinguish clothing fires.
Do you have a question about emergency safety shower equipment or need some advice on other first-aid measures for your business? Get in touch with Spill Station Australia.
