Page 100 - Occupational Health & Safety, July/August 2019

EMERGENCY SHOWERS & EYEWASH
Maintenance must be on board with the eyewash/shower program and attend to maintenance requests quickly. If an employee seeing a leaking safety shower simply turns
the water off, a greater hazard has been created.
Education/Proper Use
Train, train, document, repeat! This needs to be a hands-on train- ing with the opportunity to ask questions. Explain why the eyewash is there to help protect them and how to activate, and just as impor- tant, how to shut off. Include first aid, calling for help, and calling in problems immediately for correction. Add this as part of your drill activation each year.
Maintenance
Maintenance must be on board with the eyewash/shower program and attend to maintenance requests quickly. If an employee seeing a leaking safety shower simply turns the water off, a greater hazard has been created.
Troubleshooting
Utility issues with water? Retest when service is restored. Portable units on which the expiration tag is hard to read? Place an easy-to- read sticker on it. Non-plumbed to drain the unit? Explain why this
is to employees who think automatically it is the low-bid builder. Chances are it is environmental and not dumping something toxic into the drain.
Cleanup? This is a big deal. How to clean up hundreds of gal- lons of water rolling down the walkway? Teach employees how to use the equipment properly, shut it off, and what to use to mop up contaminated water quickly. If you have questions, vendors have specific remedies, including portable catchment basins for emer- gency situations.
Weekly Activation and Annual Flushing
I hear of few who enjoy the weekly activation. Whether done by the area employees or maintenance or the safety staff, the required activation is the only way to verify the equipment is in working order and ready to use in an emergency. Problems can be detected, reported, and resolved quickly. Activation matters. It’s not slap and go, but full, real activation to make sure it will work as designed. If I worked in an area requiring an eyewash, I would test it daily!
Paperwork
Do you have your policy and related policies in order? Are ap- propriate tags and inspection logs available for audits? Did your employees sign that they received and understood the training of- fered? Do they know how to call in a problem if noticed? Do you have all annual flushing test results and procedures? Can you pull everything on demand?
CORPORATE PROFILE
LEADING INNOVATOR IN SLIP-RESISTANT FOOTWEAR
www.shoesforcrews.com
5000 T-Rex Avenue Suite 100
Boca Raton, FL 33431
Tel: 1-800-218-4770
Contact Information
1-800-218-4770 (& press 2)
Since 1984, Shoes For Crews has been a leading innovator in slip-resistant footwear and corporate safety footwear programs, with proven expertise in industries from food service, hospitality and healthcare to schools, supermar- kets and manufacturing.
Partners in Shoes Fort Crews corporate footwear programs enjoy high partici- pation rates, fewer slip and fall accidents and substantial savings on workers’ compensation claims and insurance premiums, as well as a 60 Day Guaran- tee, Free Fast Exchanges, a $5,000 Warranty and legendary customer service.
94 Occupational Health & Safety | JULY/AUGUST 2019
www.ohsonline.com
Circle 81 on card.