Safety measures in food production

Anhydrous ammonia, for example, is a common chemical found in refrigerants in food processing and has the capability to burn the skin upon contact. At minimum, workers should be provided with appropriate PPE when exposed to such concentrates but should also have access to emergency decontamination facilities in the event of a chemical spill.

Both the European standard, EN 15154, and the internationally recognised American National Standard, ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2014 provide uniform minimum requirements for the performance, use, installation, testing, maintenance and training of emergency safety shower and eyewash equipment.

In order to minimise any injury with a swift decontamination in the event of a spill or splash, emergency safety showers must be located within 20 metres, or 10 seconds reach, of a hazard. However, if a chemical is particularly hazardous, the safety shower and/or eye/face wash equipment must be placed immediately adjacent to the hazard.

Hughes offers a number of combination safety shower and eye washes. Models like the EXP-18GS/85G can have the safety shower and eye wash activated either simultaneously or independently through different activation methods. This means that if a casualty has suffered from chemical splashes to their eyes, they will not automatically have their body drenched if this is not required.

For more information, visit www.hughes-safety.com