If your business deals with any type of hazardous or potentially-dangerous materials, such as chemicals or oil, it’s vital to understand how to best protect your employees and the environment from harm when working with the materials. You also need to be clear on how to safeguard your organisation from potential legal issues related to health and safety compliance.
This article explores a particularly useful and necessary item for businesses: safety showers. Read on to learn what they are and all the key details you need to know about using them.
What Are Safety Showers?
Safety showers, also known as emergency showers or deluge showers, are vital pieces of equipment used to wash away chemicals that come into contact with workers’ skin, eyes, or clothing. Companies that deal with chemicals place these showers in easy-to-access locations around worksites so that people can flush contaminants or extinguish clothing fires ASAP if they’re exposed. This first step to dealing with exposure helps reduce the risk of permanent injury and is done while waiting for medical attention.
Why Does My Business Need a Safety Shower?
While safety showers are an important worksite health and safety requirement, and you need them for compliance, the main reason to install an emergency shower at your worksite is to protect your employees.
Safety showers provide vital on-the-spot decontamination and are typically used within the first 20 seconds of exposure to a hazardous substance. They mitigate the effect of exposure to substances that cause harm to the human body, such as corrosive liquids, polluting gases, and abrasive dust, among other things. Without the use of a quick shower like these, the effects of hazardous materials can be much worse on workers.
Types of Products
Safety showers can be stand-alone setups of combination units that also feature an eyewash station. You can purchase indoor or outdoor stations, as well as separate eye and facewash equipment, self-contained units, and portable decontamination units.
Which Businesses Use Safety Showers?
Safety showers are typically used by companies in the following industries and fields:
- Chemical manufacturing plants
- Laboratories
- Industrial workplaces
- Construction sites
If you know that your business needs to install or replace safety showers in the coming months, don’t delay. Search for quality, well-built products that will last. Contact Spill Station to have a chat about your needs or to obtain a quote today.
