Even minor chemical splashes can cause serious injury, making early treatment essential. Emergency safety showers provide a quick and effective way of washing off contamination and reducing risk of long-term injury. Eyes are particularly vulnerable in the workplace. In the U.S., more than 2,000 people sustain eye injuries each day at work and about 200 require time off to recover. The consequences of an eye injury can be devastating. Some estimates suggest between 10 percent and 20 percent of the total work-related injuries will cause temporary or permanent vision loss. Here, too, effective first aid is essential — usually an eyewash station either as a stand-alone unit or combined with an emergency safety shower.
Successful decontamination depends on the right equipment, in the right place, easily accessible and in good working order. With the wide range of showers and eyewash units now available, selecting the best option for a particular location and hazard can seem quite confusing. In reality, it is much less complicated.