Major water utilities companies across the UK - including Thames Water, Scottish Water, United Utilities and Welsh Water - specify emergency tank showers from Hughes for their site and it’s not difficult to see why.

Emergency safety showers and eye/face wash units provide the first line of defence in the event of a chemical splash or spillage. Any delay in the removal of these spillages can result in serious injury with possible long-term consequences, permanent disability and even death.

There are fundamental points to consider when making the important decision of selecting emergency safety equipment irrespective of the industry or the location and climate.

Hughes Safety Showers Ltd joins the Justrite Manufacturing Co. family of industrial hazardous safety and environmental spill containment products. Hughes, a leading industrial safety shower and eyewash company, expands the Justrite product range for its customers in workplace safety, which includes laboratory, process or full-scale production environments.

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.

Emergency safety showers are used in a wide variety of industries. They are critical pieces of safety equipment for providing immediate relief to employees splashed with chemicals.

An emergency safety shower seems like a very simple piece of safety equipment. It must provide tepid water. It should activate quickly. It needs to flow for at least 15 minutes. But, is a simple on/off safety shower the right equipment for every environment?

How you react in the first 10 to 15 seconds after exposure to a toxic substance, particularly if it is corrosive, is crucial. A delay in treatment, even for just a few seconds, can lead to serious long-term health issues or painful injuries. As such, emergency safety showers must be situated within any hazardous or industrial workplace.

Remote location. Lack of a constant water supply. Extremes in temperature from -40°C to +45°C. Just some of the challenges faced by a customer in Kazakhstan looking for emergency safety showers. Find out how Hughes tailored a solution for this ‘super giant’ oilfield.

Ensuring that communities and businesses have access to safe, clean water each day is a top priority for the water and wastewater sector. From drinking water to crop irrigation to support the food supply, properly treated wastewater is essential to prevent disease and protect the environment.

The water held in a self-contained shower or eye/face wash units may become stagnant. This makes it susceptible to bacterial growth and if not properly treated and maintained can become a source of infection.

We outline some practical steps for limiting bacteria growth in your safety showers and eye/face wash equipment.

As would be expected within the petrochemical industry, health and safety is of great importance due to the high risk associated with the hazardous materials workers are exposed to. SOCAR Polymers were looking for an emergency safety shower solution which would ensure the water in the standpipe would be unaffected by potential solar radiation or freezing temperatures due to the extremes in the Azerbaijan climate. An engineered solution from Hughes provided everything they needed.

Emergency showers and eye wash stations ensure workers can receive immediate relief from chemical burns. Learn how Hughes helps you comply with OSHA safety shower requirements. Call us today.

The fertilizer industry uses extremely hazardous materials in their production processes. Common industry chemicals like anhydrous ammonia can cause burns and inhalation hazards. Others like ammonium nitrate pose a risk of fire and explosion. One of the most well-known industrial accidents in recent history occurred in West, Texas, in 2013.

Did you know that you can meet the ANSI Z358.1 standard for safety showers and still be unsafe? It is possible to be so focused on meeting the standard that you miss some very serious risks right next to your emergency shower and eye wash station location.

The internationally recognised American National Standard, ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2014 provides uniform minimum requirements for the performance, use, installation, testing, maintenance and training of emergency safety shower and eyewash equipment. This summary presents the main points for consideration to assist health and safety specifiers in understanding the ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2014 standard.

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?

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 national and international standards. It can, however, be a challenging task.

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.

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 global e-commerce organisation recently expanded its distribution network in Germany with the introduction of a new logistics centre. The company is responding to growing customer demand, offering an even greater product selection and supporting a growing number of independent merchants. The worldwide organisation chose Hughes to provide emergency safety showers for six of their logistic centres.

The acquisition of Sall, designer and manufacturer of environmental protection, material handling, and workplace safety solutions expands Justrite Safety Group portfolio.

The international standard for safety showers and eye/face wash equipment, ANSI Z358.1-2014 specifies that water delivered by an emergency safety shower must be tepid. Safety showers provide immediate relief for employees splashed with hazardous chemicals.

The water, delivered at a minimum of 76 litres per minute for 15 minutes, washes the chemical from the skin and out of the eyes. However, a safety shower that operates outside of the tepid water range can cause more harm to a victim.

Hurricane Laura, the fifth strongest storm to make landfall in the United States in recorded history, hit the US Gulf Coast at the end of August. An oil refinery and storage facility in Louisiana were left without electricity and an unreliable water supply following hurricane Laura for several weeks. Subsequently, the plumbed in safety showers on the site were out of action putting worker safety at risk.

To avoid huge losses from a potential shutdown, the Louisiana facility reached out to Hughes for emergency units.

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 ANSI compliant showers and eye/face wash equipment.

The food & drink industry is the largest manufacturing sector in the UK, contributing more than £28bn to the economy every year. This industry and its employees face increased demand from a constantly growing population. As pressure to escalate production increases, the industry cannot afford to neglect the safety of its workers.

A local fire brigade responds to an incident at a small chemicals factory. Many hazardous chemicals are on site and the incident has resulted in some injuries. The crew swings into action as their training and experience kick in. They assess the situation, demarcate the danger zone and don their full protective hazmat suits. These brave emergency responders risk their own lives to rescue injured workers and contain the situation.

With the implementation of new building methods or infrastructure processes, it is necessary for construction sites to change in order to meet demands. As new hazards transpire or complications arise, provisions for emergency safety equipment can be challenging especially if a site does not readily have access to a clean potable water supply, or a power supply to ensure the water remains at the required tempered level. This is where portable emergency safety showers and eye/face wash stations are essential.

Hughes Safety Showers in North America are proud to introduce the newest additions to our product range; the polar cubicle safety shower and 450-liter temperature controlled unit. Both products are built to protect a casualty on a work site in extremely cold environments that fall victim to a chemical spill. The temperature controlled unit is capable of providing tepid water to a safety shower while the polar cubicle shower protects the user from harsh external elements that could cause discomfort, preventing a full decontamination, or even hypothermia.

From food and drink containment to perfumes and colognes, glass and glass containers are an essential part of our day-to-day lives. It’s forecasted that 916 billion units of glass bottles and containers will be manufactured in 2028 alone. Throughout the production process, many caustic and corrosive chemicals such as ammonia, silane, and titanium tetrachloride are used which can cause severe harm in the event of a chemical spill. Worker safety must be maintained as a priority.

Natural gas currently makes up about a quarter of the world’s energy provisions. In a global effort to reduce our carbon emissions, more and more countries are turning to liquefied natural gases (LNG) as an alternative to traditional fossil fuels. LNGs emit 30% less carbon dioxide than oil and up to 60% less than traditional coal plants.

Whiskey production is an unavoidably time-consuming and expensive process, with some of the world’s most sought-after whiskies taking upwards of half a century to produce. The arduous investment will inevitably prove to be lucrative as fans of the drink can be willing to pay huge margins for older malts. Recently, a bottle of Macallan 1926 60-year-old single malt scotch sold for a record $ 1.85 million.

Light aircraft such as an Airbus A320 can hold 27,000 liters of fuel. While this is a staggering capacity, it pales in comparison to larger aircraft. The Boeing 777, for example, can hold over 100,000 liters of fuel which weighs over 80 metric tons. Regardless of aircraft size, the refueling process is extremely delicate and is conducted meticulously every time due to the severity of the dangers involved.

Danby quarry in Vermont is one the largest and oldest marble quarries in the United States, providing marble facades from the New York Public Library to The US Supreme Court. Marble and other natural stones are a highly sought after material, for their various uses across many industries. From architecture and paving, to sculptures, and even home furnishings. Stones such as granite are a versatile material used in the production of key infrastructures, such as roads, railways, bridges, and buildings. Natural stone has withstood the test of time as a construction material with buildings crafted in ancient times, such as the marble-crafted Roman Pantheon, still standing tall today.

Total expenditure on recreational activities as of 2022 is valued at $467.1 billion in North America, placing huge demand on the industry. In such a rapidly growing sector there are a plethora of arduous hygiene processes used to maintain facilities and protect the public. During recreational breaks, swimming pools and golf courses are often considered family favorites, but how strenuous is maintenance?

One of the world's leading agriculture companies, through their technologies, helps farmers all over the globe maximise the use of limited agricultural resources.

For over 100 years, their Manufacturing Centre in the North of England has produced crop protection products that ensure growers can meet demands for fuel, food and feed. With a dedicated workforce of up to 400 people, this site specifically manufactures herbicides and insecticides for export worldwide.

The United States is the second largest producer of pulp and paper in the world with a market value of around $34.3 billion. It is reported that the industry produces over 75 million tons worth of material each year. A combination of hundreds of different chemicals will be used throughout the laborious process by different manufacturers worldwide. With this many solutions involved in the process it is essential that workers are aware of the hazards they work with and have access to safety showers and eye/face washes in the event of a chemical spill.

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.

The official Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and ends on November 30 and has the potential to cause widespread disruption along the Gulf Coast.
Are you prepared for power outages or interrupted water supplies affecting the performance of your plumbed-in safety showers?

The U.S. cannabis industry is currently worth $61 billion with nationwide sales increasing 67% in 2020.  With even more growth expected as more states relax cannabis consumption and/or possession laws, it is not surprising that producers are popping up all over the country. Knowing the industry risks, having a safety plan along with the right equipment will help decrease the chances of serious injuries or fatalities.

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.