Industries worldwide rely on the steady supply of minerals and metals harvested by the mining industry such as coal, iron ore, bauxite, and potash. Though the final products of mining may not be hazardous, there are many chemical risks that mine workers are exposed to daily.

A laboratory incident at UC Berkeley in 2009 caused severe chemical burns to a student. A few drops of the corrosive chemical oleylamine fell onto a researcher’s uncovered forearm. When he realized what happened, he went to the restroom and washed his arm with soap and water for about a minute. Unfortunately, oleylamine is corrosive and hard to wash off the skin.

Over recent years, the hospitality sector has been recovering from the substantial financial losses caused by the pandemic. Alongside these losses came a change in customer priorities, with 55% of UK consumers stating cleanliness being of greater importance since the pandemic.

Cleaning products are the most common hazardous substances used in the hospitality sector. Now, with increased sanitising expected and required, these chemical cleaners are used more frequently and are purchased and stored in higher volumes to keep up with demand.

Working with hazardous chemicals is a huge health and safety challenge, in part mitigated by the provision of essential emergency shower and eye wash equipment. However, add in the issue of high ambient temperatures and supplying suitable decontamination solutions becomes more complicated.

You’ve purchased a safety shower or eye/face wash, the unit has been installed according to ANSI and EN standards, within 20 metres or 10 seconds reach of the hazard, is easily identifiable and free from obstructions.Do all employees know where to find these units? Do they know how to activate a safety shower or eye wash in an emergency?

There are very specific rules and guidelines around the storage and transportation of dangerous substances. From the material of the vessel through to the temperature of the room the chemical is stored in, it’s essential that employers mitigate the risks to ensure the safety of employees, the public and property.

Quality is essential, particularly in the manufacture of safety products. Safety showers and eye wash equipment must be reliable, robust, and work first time, every time, to protect lives. Hughes’ rigorous approach to delivering high-quality products is evident throughout our manufacturing processes. We are audited to ISO standards, namely 45001:2018, 14001:2015 and 9001:2015. Producers of sustainable, high-quality components are in evidence throughout our entire supply chain.

Ensuring the safety of workers should be one of your primary concerns as an employer. Investing in safety showers ensures you are investing in the safety of your employees as well as providing yourself with peace of mind that you are compliant to international standards. It can, however, be a challenging task.

Every year, thousands of workers are injured or suffer ill effects due to hazardous substances. Employers are responsible for taking effective measures to control exposure to these substances and to ensure proper procedures are in place in the event of a spill or splash.

There is a wide range of chemicals that can be hazardous to workers health. If a substance is harmful, they will be clearly labelled with the relevant hazard symbol(s). Common materials in everyday use such as paint, bleach, solvent, or fillers are all considered hazardous.

Ensuring you have the right emergency safety equipment can be challenging, especially if your site does not have easy access to a clean potable water supply. Water pressure can also be an issue for a lot of sites.

For a lot of locations, portable emergency safety showers and face/eyewash stations are essential. If installation measures for a plumbed in unit cannot be met, portable equipment can provide immediate access, guaranteeing worker safety.

Data storage centre sites store computing and networking equipment for the purpose of collecting, storing, processing, distributing or allowing access to large amounts of data. It's essential to ensure that these sites conform to health and safety guidelines and workers are safe.

Vaping has made its mark as one of the fastest growing industries of the 21st century. With the number of vapers globally climbing from just 7 million in 2011 to a staggering 41 million in 2018 and a market worth an estimated £15.5 billion, it’s unsurprising that new vape liquid manufacturers are popping up every day.

To ensure that your e-liquid production facility conforms to health and safety guidelines and your workers are safe, it’s important to invest in EN and ANSI compliant showers and eye/face wash equipment.