The safety of employees is paramount and it extends beyond simply having the right safety equipment or PPE in the workplace. It is important to have equipment installed for when an accident happens, to provide emergency treatment and prevent incident resulting in serious injury.
How Eyewash and Emergency Showers Help Prevent Long-Term Worker Injuries
Emergency eye wash stations and emergency showers are required for workers who could be exposed to corrosive chemicals in the workplace. Workers use eyewashes, face washes and showers to flush chemicals and debris out of their eyes and off their bodies. If your workplace requires an eyewash or emergency shower, you should know how they work, where they need to be located and how to use and maintain them.
In addition to this, in Australia, the installation of emergency decontamination equipment must comply with Australian Safety Standard AS4775-2007 - Emergency eyewash and shower equipment.
Emergency Eyewash, Eye/Face Wash and Shower General Requirements
- Location must be accessible within 10-seconds of hazard, approximately 55-feet.
- Safety equipment must be located on the same level as the hazard.
- The path of travel must be free of obstructions.
- Location must be well lit and identified with a highly visible sign.
- Employees who may be exposed to hazardous materials shall be trained in the location and proper use of emergency equipment.
- Emergency equipment shall be activated weekly to verify operation.
- Emergency equipment shall be inspected annually to ensure conformance with the requirements of AS4775.
Furthermore, there is an Australian Standard with a location requirement for each chemical type (sometimes it is a specific distance, sometimes it’s determined by a risk assessment). Hence, when deciding on the exact location of an emergency shower station or eye wash station, it is highly important to consider how water from the decontamination equipment could react with the chemicals, or where the corrosives could contaminate or degrade the facilities.
Any employee who works around corrosive or caustic chemicals could be injured if there is a splash or spill. Employees need to be able to react quickly and have access to emergency eyewashes or showers to keep chemical splashes from turning into severe, life-altering injuries. It can also help to have a clear emergency eye wash station sign in order for employees to easily locate the emergency equipment in your workplace.
Southland Supply Group
Southland Supply Group is the distributor for a number of companies in Australia, dealing with a variety of products ranging from personal protective equipment, Emergency Eyewash Stations, site safety supplies, and more. Our in-stock inventory is huge and covers a diverse range of products. For more information, check out our range at https://www.southland.com.au/