If your employees work with hazardous chemicals or substances, they need to be protected in the event of an incident. This means that you should have safety showers and eyewash stations on hand if anything should go wrong.
This isn’t just a safety requirement, this is a requirement put forward by the Australian Government and is a necessity if you want to remain compliant and avoid serious fines, lawsuits and brand reputation losses in the future.
But if you’re not entirely sure why safety showers and eyewash stations are such an important requirement, this article will explain just why it’s necessary
Why They’re Important
When you’re dealing with dangerous chemicals, it’s important to remove these substances within 10-15 seconds of being exposed to them in your body or eyes. If there’s any delay in this decontamination, the outcome can be that your workers end up with critical injuries and your business ends up with costly medical and legal issues.
Safety showers and eyewash stations can rinse off any exposure to the skin, eyes and clothing quickly and effectively, with high-pressure tepid water. This means that if you have them readily available on-site, you can immediately treat the affected area before it causes a bigger problem for your workers.
How To Ensure Compliance
Beyond just having an eyewash station or safety shower at your workplace, you will want to make sure that they are compliant. These compliance outlines are as per the Australian Standards for Emergency Shower & Eyewash Equipment (AS 4775-2007).
Here’s what you need to keep in mind:
Location Matters
Emergency showers and eyewash stations must be located without obstructions and about 10-15 seconds away from the risks posed. The area should be accessible, on the same level and clearly lit and signed.
Water Supply Regulations
Beyond just having the right flow of equipment, the water supply should be clean and safe to drink, making it human-safe.
Install Correctly
Safety showers and eyewash stations need to be installed by a certified plumber. This isn’t just a legal requirement but is also something that will give you peace of mind that the equipment will work well when needed.
Test Regularly
Safety showers should be tested once a week to make sure that they are working correctly, and this can be done by staff. Annual tests however need to be done by the right accredited entities.
Conduct Repairs & Maintenance
Repairs and maintenance on the emergency showers & eyewashes should be done by a certified plumber and done according to the manufacturer’s manual outlines.
Installation Requirements Apply
Outside of everything above that ensures compliance, there are some insulation measures you will want to be aware of before you get started:
- The emergency shower needs to be placed within 15 metres of the hazards, and on the same level.
- Eye wash stations must be right next to any area using corrosive or strong acids and must be protected from exposure to airborne dirt or further contamination.
- A scald protection valve is required to prevent extreme temperatures from harming users, the water should be tepid at most.
- Water flow for eye wash stations should be 1.5L per minute for a minimum of 15 minutes.
- Water flow for safety showers should be 75.5L per minute for a minimum of 15 minutes.
One Last Thing
When you look at the above, it’s clear that it’s hard to keep all your safety equipment compliant, even if you know the compliance rules, so turn to the experts and the suppliers of Australia’s best safety showers at Spill Station/ to help you clear up where your safety showers and eyewashes should be, and how to keep them as compliant as possible.
Contact them at https://www.spillstation.com.au today and get started!
