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Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Attributes Of Effective Self Contained Eyewash Stations

By Jessica Green


Emergencies are common occurrences at the workstation. This may include the entry of harmful substances into the eyes. A functioning self contained eyewash station is important in ensuring that damage to the eyes is minimized during accidents. This is an emergency unit installed to prevent harm and reduce the effect of harmful substances to the eyes.

Accessibility at all times must be considered in setting up a station. In the event of an accident, it should be accessible by all employees or everyone around the work environment. It should be accessed without any trouble. They should also be centered mostly in areas with high potential of calamities in case of an accident so that many people can be served as much as possible. In should also be centrally located in that zoned area to ensure easy access during emergencies.

Obstructions such as fences that might hinder the effectiveness of the station during emergencies must be avoided during their installation. Such hindrances might slow down human movement and their access to help. Sign posts printed in clear and bold language must also be put up nearby so that access is enhanced. It is advisable to put up the sign boards in a diverse array of languages to cater for the needs of those who might not have an understanding of one particular dialect.

The cost of installing and maintaining the system must also fall within budget. Expensive and complicated systems do not make an economic sense. Repairs are also done weekly to remove any cleaning agent that might be held up in the system and this could be expensive. It is therefore important to set up a cost effective system because it will not only save money but also improve efficiency during emergency situations.

It should also be easy to operate. An on-off valve should also be installed so that the system can be activated with a single motion and in shortest time possible. Complicated systems are hard to operate and simplifying its operation is important in preventing adverse calamities in event of an emergency. The on-off valve in the station should be placed at a position that anyone can easily locate and operate during emergencies

A station should also be portable. This implies that it must be made of light material and therefore be easy to move to inaccessible areas such as hilly places. A heavy system is not only difficult to move and operate but heavy maintenance costs might also come into play when using them, portability ensures easy transportation to places in the accident scene where the casualties cannot move by themselves.

Cleaning agents should also be mixed in a clean and bacteria free environment. This is because eyes are very sensitive organs of the body and washing them with infected cleaning agents might cause further harm including blindness. The mixture must also be made early in anticipation of any accidents that could occur. Furthermore an ambulance should be stationed closely to facilitate easy transportation of victims adversely affected by the accident.

The flow of the cleaning agent should also be consistent. The agent must fully remove all harmful substances from the eyes and leave all fragments of it. In adverse incidents, a consistent fifteen to twenty minute flow is required to completely wash off the chemicals.




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