Emergency safety equipment and their uses

Safety equipment is essential for your safety and security in emergencies at workplaces, offices, buildings, warehouses, and even in homes. Some commonly used safety equipment include eyewash stations, emergency showers, first-aid stations, spill containment systems, Emergency lighting, emergency exits, fire extinguishers, fire hoses, and fire blankets.

For chemical laboratories handling hazardous chemicals, it becomes necessary to have emergency response equipment in place to deal with any accidental spill or exposure incident. In this article, we have listed emergency safety equipment and its uses. This article would be valuable information for those who are looking to buy emergency equipment for their workplaces.

Emergency shower and eyewash station

Eyewash stations and emergency showers need to be available within 10 meters of the area where hazardous chemicals are stored and handled. They are used for immediate first-aid treatments of chemical splashes. 

Emergency showers and eyewash stations are two entirely different units and are used for different purposes. The emergency shower is designed to wash the whole body and emit water at high pressure. On the other hand, eyewash stations deliver the water at lower pressure and are specifically designed for washing eyes in case of emergency.Must have features for emergency shower and eyewash station

• Ensure the unit is at the proper height from the floor with no obstruction. 
• It should be installed in a well-lit area. Easy to identify by coloring and signage. Commonly, high-vis powder coat finishes are used for signage.
• The eyewash station must deliver a continuous flow of water to both eyes at the same time. The pressure of water should be lower; otherwise, it can injure the eyes. 
• The station should have a tempering valve that is necessary to provide the tepid water for the appropriate amount of time.  
• Ensure the unit is free of corrosion and the valves are working properly. 
• Eyewash stations should be easy to operate with a single hand or foot action. 
• Must have filters to remove any debris, dust, or contamination that could injure the eyes or body. 

Emergency showers and eyewash stations must be tested every 12 months. Stations should be cleaned after use to remove any remaining chemical residue. For more detailed information, visit a manufacturer’s website, such as GIA Premix: https://giapremix.fi/.

How to wash your eyes in emergencies:

Locate emergency shower and eyewash stations before working with hazardous chemicals. 

Follow these guidelines to wash your eyes.

1. If your eyes get exposed to hazardous chemicals, yell to seek help if someone else is present in the lab.
2. Go to the eyewash station or shower as soon as possible with the help of someone else, or you can do it yourself. And put your eye and the affected area in the stream of water. 
3. Open your eyelids and roll your eyeballs around to get maximum water to pass through your eyes. 
4. Keep flushing water for 15 minutes or until help arrives. 

Personal protective equipment

Laboratory workers, emergency responders, and firefighters may need to wear PPE to deal with hazardous chemicals or fire safely.

There are three types of PPE, each giving different levels of protection. 

1. Complete coverage: PPE that completely covers your body. It protects your whole body from chemicals or fire. It includes protective clothing, a full face mask, and boots. This type of PPE is usually used in extreme conditions. 
2. Chemical-resistant clothing: these are clothes that are specially designed from material that won’t melt or deteriorate by chemicals. It protects the skin, face, eyes, and body from chemical spills and splashes. 
3. Basic overage: It provides simple protection for hygiene purposes or against minor irritation and infection. This PPE will not protect the skin or respiratory system. 

Spill control kits

A spill kit is a 2.5 or 5-gallon bucket containing absorbent material to deal with the cleaning hazardous acids or alkalis spills in the laboratory. The spill kit contains proper spill clean-up instructions, absorbent pads or mixtures, neutralization solutions, a polyethylene scoop, polyethylene gags, hazard labels, and personal protective equipment.

You can stock the absorbent relevant to your laboratory. Each absorbent container must be labeled as to what it contains and for what type of spills it can be used. 

These are common materials in the spill kit:

1. Ground corn cobs for most aqueous and organic liquid spills
2. Absorbent clay for oils or oxidizing liquids
3. Sodium bicarbonate for liquid acid and base spills
4. Calcium carbonate for hydrofluoric acid spills

Fire extinguisher 

A fire extinguisher is a fire protection device. It is filled with dry or wet chemicals to extinguish small fires, often in emergencies. It is necessary to place small extinguishers in offices, homes, and buildings to extinguish small fires. 

Following is the procedure to operate the extinguisher

• Pull the pin: This will break the seal of the fire extinguisher.
• Aim low: Point the nozzle at the base of the fire. 
• Squeeze: squeeze the handle to release the extinguishing agent.
• Sweep: sweep from side to side at the base of the fire until the fire is suppressed. 

Don’t touch the discharge of CO2 extinguishers. It gets very cold and can cause injury.

First-Aid kit 

A first-aid kit is a collection of supplies and equipment used to give immediate medical treatment to mild or moderate injuries. It is the most basic emergency safety equipment. 

Items in the first-aid kit depend on where they are being used. First-aid kits that are being used in aircrafts have different items than the ones being used in chemical laboratories. 

We have listed ten commonly used items in the first-aid kit

• Plaster of different sizes and shapes
• Sterile gauze dressing
• Bandage
• Tweezers
• Scissors
• Cleaning wipes
• Eyewash
• Thermometer
• Painkillers
• Distilled water for cleaning wounds

Automated external defibrillator

AED stands for Automated External Defibrillator. It is an easy-to-use device. An AED analyzes the heart’s rhythm and gives a signal whether to deliver a shock to the victim. This shock is called defibrillation.

Early defibrillation increases the chance of survival for sudden cardiac arrest patients. This device should be used in the workplace for workers with cardiovascular disease. It could be a life-saving device for these patients. 

Emergency lighting

Emergency lighting is needed to provide the necessary illumination in case the main power supply is cut out. Emergency lighting uses battery power as a backup if your power fails during a fire. Proper exit signage must also be present to identify emergency exits. So people could see the signage and could exit the building.  

Fire alarms

A fire alarm system is a unit made of several devices, such as detectors, heat detectors, and manual fire alarm activation devices. All components are connected to a fire alarm control panel. The fire alarms detect the presence of fire, smoke, and carbon monoxide. The system uses visual and audio signals to warn the people in the building. Some fire alarm systems also turn off elevators, which are unsafe to use in case of emergency. 

Fire hoses

Fire hoses are long pipes that are connected to a water supply to extinguish fire. They are an effective way of controlling large fires until the firefighters come. Fire hose reels are commonly found in commercial buildings and warehouses. These pipes are connected to a reliable water supply.

Emergency exits

An emergency exit is a special exit used only during emergencies such as fires. Emergency exits act as alternative means of evacuation if regular exits are inaccessible. Emergency signs and lights should be installed along the emergency escape. It should be regularly inspected and maintained to ensure everything is functioning properly. 

Log out Tag out devices (LOTO)

It is the standard practice to communicate to employees that machines with LOTO devices should not be operated. Lockout occurs when a machine, equipment, or process is isolated from the energy sources. There are a variety of lockout padlocks and devices that are designed for specific applications.

Tagout is the process of labeling the equipment to communicate the information. You can write all the necessary information about the machine on the tag, such as danger, the purpose of the lockout, when it would be removed, when the equipment will not be operated, and the name of the authorized worker. 

Conclusion – Emergency safety equipment and their uses

A risk assessment is advised to identify what problems can occur at the workplace. How to mitigate all those safety concerns. Implementing safety measures is of paramount importance at the workplace because it provides safety both to people and equipment. From spill control kits to eyewash stations, each tool has a role in the overall security of the building. There are safety standards, such as the ones advised by HSA and OSHA, for workplaces to comply with. Having emergency safety equipment in place protects the well-being of the workforce.

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