Why Time is of the Essence When it Comes to Emergency Safety Showers

In work environments where employees are at risk of exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals, dust, liquids, and other substances, an emergency safety shower is an essential piece of PPE. Hopefully, you will never need to get into one, but if you work in such an environment it’s important to be mindful of the time and temperatures needed for effective decontamination to take place.

How Long Do You Need to Be in an Emergency Safety Shower?

People exposed to harmful substances should use an emergency safety shower for at least 15 minutes. For effective decontamination to take place, the water should be flowing at a consistent rate of 76 litres per minute. The temperature should be in a tepid range, defined as between 15-37c under EN15154 and 16-38c under ANSI Z358.1-2014.

How Quickly Should I be Able to Get to an Emergency Safety Shower?

Workers exposed to a hazard should be able to access an emergency safety shower within 10 seconds. Time is of the essence when it comes to decontamination after such exposure, therefore it is important that the path to this shower unit is unhindered and clearly labeled. The EN standard specifies that they should be located within 20m of the hazard.

How Can You Guarantee That an Emergency Safety Shower Will Function Properly for 15 Minutes?

In order to ensure that emergency safety showers activate and function properly as and when needed, safety officers must ensure that they are activated at least once a week. By doing so it should highlight any performance issues with the shower so they can be rectified. This also clears the pipework of any built-up sediment and is essential to mitigate the threat of legionella developing in stagnant water. 

Have More Questions About Emergency Safety Showers?

If you have any questions relating to emergency safety shower units please contact our team on 0402 32116 (Arklow) or 021 484 1370 (Cork). You can also email us at sales@mahealy.ie.