Both ANSI (American) and EN (European) standards for emergency safety showers dictate that safety showers should be supplied with an uninterrupted (76L per minute) flow of water for 15 minutes, and that it should be of tepid temperature. This article proposes to discuss what ‘tepid’ water is, why it is needed when it comes to safety showers, and how you can achieve it.
What is ‘tepid’ water in terms of emergency safety showers?
ANSI (the American standard) defines ‘tepid’ water as being of a temperature in the range 6-38c. The EN (European) standard stipulates a range of 15-37c. As such, there is a tiny difference between the standards but it is almost negligible.
The wrong temperature can cause further harm and reduce the effectiveness of the safety shower
If the water in a safety shower is too cold, it’s going to be very difficult persuading anyone to stay in it for 15 minutes, and can even increase the risk of harm (for instance, hypothermia). Likewise, if the water is too hot, it will also make the shower uncomfortable, and you run the risk of scalding the person trying to use it. Temperatures higher than 38c also increase the risk of chemicals being absorbed by the skin. Even if further harm doesn’t occur, an uncomfortable shower may lead to the user leaving it early, and thus preventing effective decontamination from taking place.
My working environment means the water is too cold, what do I do?
Insulated jackets and immersion heating units can be supplied to help maintain a safety shower’s water supply at a tepid temperature. Trace tape heated showers are another option. And, while not a common problem in Ireland, cooling equipment can also be supplied if the local environment is too warm.
To find out more about safety showers and the regulations surrounding them, call our experts on 0402 32116 today. Gaslines Ltd. has been an authorised distributor for Hughes Safety Showers in Ireland for decades and have been supplying emergency safety showers and eye wash units to a wide range of Irish industries.
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