A worker at an oil refinery accidentally was sprayed with corrosive chemicals. Her coworkers acted quickly and got her into the safety shower to wash the dangerous substance from her clothing and exposed skin. Luckily for everyone, the shower was functioning properly and water temperature wasn’t too hot or cold.
Did you know ANSI safety standards ANSI Z358.1-2014 require water temperatures to fall within the range of 15.6°C (60°F) and 37.8°C (100°F)? Having the best equipment will ensure your employees are protected in an emergency.
Why ANSI Z358.1-2014
Just as water temperature is important in your shower at home, having water at the proper temperature is vital in a safety shower and eyewash.
Having water in a safety shower outside the required temperature range could cause more injury for an injured employee—hypothermia if it’s too cold or burns if it’s too hot. And if it’s too cold or hot, the employee might jump out instead of staying under the water stream for the required 15 minutes, further complicating the original chemical injury.
Having water the right temperature also can warm up or cool down the injured person, whose temperature may have changed because of the chemical exposure.
Ensuring your safety showers and eyewashes are functioning properly, in safety shower compliance with ANSI Z358.1-2014, with the right water temperature will protect your employees in an emergency and keep your facility in compliance.
Liability protection
Safety is a top priority for you and your employees, as is protecting your company from liability. Having the best-performing safety showers on the market, and following maintenance protocols will reduce your liability.
Having inferior safety shower equipment at your facility can result in serious legal ramifications, fines and liability in the case of an accident. OSHA imposed a $50.61 million penalty after the 2005 explosion at BP’s Texas City, Texas refinery.
ATS has developed customizable safety showers and eyewashes like Vision Flush that exceed OSHA and ANSI safety shower requirements, and are the only ones on the market that are Assembly Certified, which is Washington State’s new standard.
Ongoing Maintenance
ATS also has a maintenance program to give you and your employees peace of mind, and takes the burden of maintenance off you. It provides biannual checkups, flushing to meet code, water stabilizing renewals for safe water and reasonable ANSI updates of equipment for peace of mind. These showers are owned and maintained by ATS, so you can focus on what you do best and not have to worry about routine shower maintenance and ANSI compliant updates.
Having top-performing safety showers from a company that cares about protecting your employees will give you peace of mind, keep your refinery ASNI compliant and reduce your liability.
Your employees depend on your safety showers and eyewashes performing as designed in an emergency, with water that follows safety standards and that won’t burn or cause hypothermia.
