Safety showers are a must-have for any workplace that handles harmful substances or corrosive chemicals. Although you may do everything you can to have safety protocols in place to reduce hazards, accidents can and probably will happen. This makes safety showers critical to safety before further medical attention is given.
But how do you make sure you remain compliant in the placement of your safety shower?
Here’s What To Consider When Placing a Safety Shower
With the Australian Standards in mind, here are some important things to keep in mind when considering the location of your safety shower.
Distance From Hazards
The greater the distance between shower stations and potential accident sites, the greater the chance of serious damage. Particularly in the event of hazard exposure-related vision impairment. As a result, emergency showers and eyewash stations should not be more than ten seconds away from possible hazards, but the closer the better. Additionally, the shower should be on the same level as the hazard, so avoid stairs or ramps.
Clear Path To Showers
Workers should be able to access the safety showers. This means there can’t be any doors, equipment or partitions in the way to obstruct the worker from getting to the shower in an emergency. In addition to this, other workers should be aware of where the safety showers are to easily guide and not get in the way of any injured workers.
Supply Temperate Tepid Water
Ideally, an emergency shower should provide tepid water for a rinsing time of a minimum of 15 minutes. This water must be tepid to avoid risks of shock, burns or hypothermia while the addiction area is flushed. This is why outdoor or portable safety showers are not technically compliant. They are a quick way to help a worker until they can get to a compliant safety shower.
Visible Signs & Lighting
Eyewash and shower stations need to be easy to see from all angles so that employees can see them and thus access them quickly. As a result, wall or floor signage needs to be easily recognizable and identifiable. The area of the shower and its signage likewise should be sufficiently bright. If this isn’t the case, a person with blurry vision who has chemical residue in their eyes may have trouble getting to a safety eyewash or shower.
Privacy & Isolation
Contingent upon the situation, it is in many cases important to take off clothing when an individual uses an emergency shower. This is because chemical contaminants are likely to remain entangled in clothing, posing a greater threat of harm. One way to help users maintain their privacy is to install modesty curtains as an option or place the shower in a more private, yet visible location.
Quantity and Type of Shower
In some workplaces, hazardous chemicals are kept in large quantities on-site, and many workers perform related handling tasks. This means that multiple people who need to use an eyewash or safety shower station at the same time can be affected by a single incident.
Consequently, the number of security showers, eyewash stations, or mix units ought to be dependent upon the number of workers and the risks at your workplace. In addition, interim drench hoses or portable units can be used until everyone can get to a safety shower.
Need Guidance? Call Spill Station
When it comes to safety showers, Spill Station is the best choice in Australia!
They offer a wide variety of compliant, and portable safety showers, drench hoses, accessories and even risk assessments and audits to keep your workplace safe over time. They are essentially your one-stop shop for everything safety-related in Australia.
Talk to them about your safety shower needs today!
Comments are closed.