When it comes to the term ‘PPE’, many people will automatically think of gloves, safety boots, and protective suits. And while all of these things are indeed important pieces of PPE, for some industries PPE goes beyond wearable items. An emergency safety shower unit is a common type of PPE used in industries where workers are at risk of exposure to harmful substances. (This is of course, in addition to wearable PPE, not instead of it). In this article we will take a look at just five of them, some of which may surprise you.
Emergency Safety Showers Food & Beverage Production
Food & beverage manufacturing processes use a lot of chemicals in the sterilisation process, which can be very harmful to workers if they become directly exposed to them. Examples of these include acidic cleaners, disinfectants, detergents, and refrigerants—they might ensure the produce is safe but the same cannot be said for anyone who directly touches them.
As such, food & beverage production facilities should have a readily accessible, functioning emergency safety shower and eye wash station within 10 seconds of reach of these hazards.
Waste Water Treatment Plants
Sulfate, chlorine, and sodium hydroxide are just some of the materials used in Water Waste Treatment Plants (WWTPs). These can have extremely harmful effects if they come into contact with a person’s skin, so it is absolutely essential that all WWTPs have an emergency safety shower unit and eye wash station on site.
Safety Showers as Construction Site PPE
Construction sites present a lot of hazards to workers and visitors, and they’re not always obvious physical threats such as falls or being hit by heavy objects. Dust is a constant threat to all involved in construction work, with silica dust being a particularly harmful example. For this reason, construction workers should have ready access to an emergency safety shower and eye wash unit so they can readily decontaminate themselves in the event that they become exposed to such dust. Given the nature of construction sites, a mobile safety shower bowser, such as the Hughes 1200L, may be ideal.
The Pharma Industry Needs Safety Showers
By their very nature, pharma production sites make use of a lot of chemicals and other substances that can be lethal should a person be exposed to them directly. As with all the other industries, wearable PPE is a must, but should the unthinkable happen, having an emergency safety shower unit on site is invaluable, and may make the difference between a harmful exposure escalating.
Data Centres Need Emergency Safety Showers
This one may come as a surprise to some people, but emergency safety showers are also an important piece of PPE for data centres. A lot of refrigerants and coolants are used in order to keep the servers cool. Battery acids are also often stored on site. Thus, safety managers should ensure that their data centres have an emergency safety shower on site to mitigate the risk of harm to workers if they become exposed to any of these chemicals.
The above list is far from exhaustive but should give you a quick overview of the diverse range of sectors that need emergency safety shower units as part of their PPE lineup. If you would like to know more or aren’t sure if your workplace needs one, contact our safety shower experts on 0402 32116 (Arklow) or 021 484 1370 (Cork). As an authorised distributor for Hughes Safety Showers in the Republic of Ireland, we have amassed a wealth of experience in meeting the PPE needs of a wide range of Irish industries, including pharma, food production, mining, warehousing, brewing, engineering, construction, to name just some.
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