When it comes to your company; the health, safety, and well-being of your employees comes first. That is why it is important to make sure that a safety program is implemented to allow for a smooth reaction during an emergency. This is especially true in adverse weather conditions. Enter safety shower winterization.
What is Safety Shower Winterization
When we speak of safety shower winterization, we do not mean prepping your safety shower like other pieces of equipment that have freezing fluids, and which you store for extended lengths of time. Safety showers and eyebaths need to be available and function for all weather events that occur in your climate.
Winter-Ready
Safety shower winterization is the process of making your equipment winter-ready. You must ensure that the equipment is configured to avoid freeze damage and to provide tepid water. In your evaluation of your setup, take into account the possible weather patterns: average lows, extreme lows, and wind-speeds.
The Checklist
During winter months the functionality of such pieces of equipment could become impaired due to colder temperatures. We have created a checklist that will allow you to check if your safety shower program is ready for winter.
Existing Equipment
If your facility contains existing safety equipment, use this checklist to evaluate that equipment for your climate. Just because your shower pipes have not frozen in the past does not mean that they will not freeze in the future. Also, there are other hazards this checklist might alert you to that you have not considered. For instance, have you considered what would happen if your safety shower is used in freezing weather, and over 300 gallons of water is poured out over the ground? What will quickly happen to that water if you do not properly contain it? The now impaired victim is likely to slip and fall sustaining new injuries as a result of the newly formed ice. Also, those coming to assist the injured person are liable to fall too.
New Equipment
If you are in the process of evaluating new safety shower and eyewash equipment, use the checklist in your evaluation process. Let it help guide you through some of these potential pitfalls.
ATS Can Help
The technical consultants at ATS have the experience to assist you regardless of whether you have existing equipment or you are deploying new equipment. After you download the checklist, reach out to us and let us help you along the way.
