Safety Showers and Eye Wash Units have a wide range of applications across many industries. Perhaps some of the most well-known are pharmaceutical sites, mines, chemical plants, and other areas where there this an ever-present risk of workers being exposed to harmful chemicals and other substances. Often overlooked are warehouse environments, but these can carry their own contamination risk in the event of an accident. This article looks at why Safety Showers and Eye Wash Units are sometimes a required piece of PPE for warehouses, and what Safety Managers and Facility Managers need to consider when procuring one.
Why do Warehouses need Safety Showers and Eye Wash Units?
Warehouses mightn’t be the first location that strikes one as where a Safety Shower or Eye Wash Unit might be needed to mitigate the risk of contamination. Certainly, they’re not as blatantly obvious a hazard as say, a chemical factory. However, if your warehouse stores harmful substances, fuels, or chemicals, then your workers are still at risk of exposure should there be an accident involving or near such stored substances. If this is the case in your warehouse, then your Safety Officer needs to look at installing a Safety Shower and Eye Wash Unit; however small the risk, having a Safety Shower in the warehouse can make all the difference between decontaminating someone in a freak accident and them suffering permanent harm, or worse.
What type of Safety Shower Unit should my Warehouse have?
This is a good question, and the answer depends on the individual warehouse, and the types of material being stored. For example, if your warehouse is a particularly cold environment, you may need to consider installing an immersion heated Safety Shower Unit to ensure that the water is delivered at a tepid temperature as per EN and ANSI standards. Conversely, if your warehouse is a hot environment, then you may require a chiller-fitted Safety Shower so that the water does not become too hot for safe or comfortable use. There is also the question as to whether your warehouse is better suited to a free-standing Safety Shower or a wall-mounted Safety Shower. A Mobile Safety Shower Unit may also be worth considering, as they be easily moved to areas that it may not be practical to install a permanent Safety Shower fixture. It’s always best to have a consultation on the application before ordering a unit, and our experienced team at Gaslines Ltd. will be more than happy to do so.
If you think you might need a Safety Shower or Eye Wash Unit for your warehouse, feel free to get in touch with our team. We have decades of experience in supplying Safety Showers and Eye Wash Units to Irish businesses and are an official distributor for Hughes Safety Showers in Ireland. Call us on 0402 32216 or email sales@mahealy.ie.
