Emergency safety shower units can be the difference between whether or not someone sustains a life-changing injury (or worse) when exposed to harmful substances in a worksite. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that all standards are adhered to in full when it comes to emergency safety shower installation and maintenance. One of these requirements is to maintain the water at a tepid temperature at all times. Why is this, and what does ‘tepid’ mean in this context? Let’s find out…
What Temperature Should the Water in an Emergency Safety Shower Unit Be?
There are two standards for emergency safety showers, ANSI and European, both of which require the water to be ‘tepid’. ANSI standards stipulate that the water following through an emergency safety shower should be 6 to 38C (60 to 100F). The European standard specifies 15 to 37C (59 to 98F).
If the Water is Too Cold Then The Emergency Safety Shower Is Less Effective
In order for an emergency safety shower to do its job effectively, employees must stay inside for at least 15 minutes. And, let’s be honest, few people want to stay in freezing cold water for that long, let alone when they’re already distressed. Furthermore, prolonged immersion in freezing water increases the risk of hypothermia. So, for both safety reasons and practical ones, the water supplied to an emergency safety shower unit must be at a constant tepid temperature for at least 15 minutes. The last thing you want is an already injured employee developing hypothermia or jumping out of the shower before thorough decontamination has occurred.
Hot Water Presents Further Risks in Emergency Safety Showers
Having the water at too high a temperature also causes problems for Emergency Safety Showers. As with cold water, 15 minutes in very hot water is going to make the emergency shower too uncomfortable for people to want to stay in it and you run the risk of people leaving it early before decontamination has been completed. It also presents the risk of scalding, which is not something you want on any day, and certainly not when the employee is already at the risk of injury.
What if Local Temperatures Affect The Water Supply?
In circumstances where the local environment might cause the water supply to be too cold, Hughes Safety Showers can provide insulated jackets and/or heating units to assist with maintaining the water at the correct temperature. Though not generally required in Ireland, they can also provide cooling units in circumstances where the local temperature is too high; this is often used on sites in the Middle East, for example. In addition, safety shower thermometers can also be supplied.
Hopefully, this article has given you a bit of an insight into what tepid water means and why it’s a requirement for emergency safety shower units. For more information feel free to contact our team for a free consultation on 0402 32116 or email sales@mahealy.ie.
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