If your employees use dangerous chemicals to complete their tasks during the day, you may keep eyewash stations inside your building in case of emergencies. To ensure each eyewash station is safe and clean enough for your employees to use, you must inspect the stations regularly. Learn why it's important to inspect your eyewash stations below.
Can Eyewash Stations Become Dangerous Over Time?
Eyewash stations allow employees to rinse irritants and other substances from their eyes during accidental sprays and spills. However, eyewash stations can become contaminated with bacteria and other harmful organisms over time. The organisms can invade the soft tissues of your employees' eyes and compromise their health.
Eyewash stations generally receive water directly from your building's water supply. If the water supply entering your building from the ground or city is unclean, it can create sanitation problems for your eyewash stations. Employees who use the contaminated water may become seriously ill afterward.
Several other things can make your eyewash stations unsafe to use as well. Stations that lack regular maintenance can experience pressure problems, mineral buildup, and other issues during the year. Unless you inspect your stations regularly, you may not catch these issues until it's too late to fix them.
If it's been a long time since you inspected your eyewash stations, do so now.
How Can You Inspect Your Eyewash Stations?
Eyewash station inspections can be difficult to carry out without the right assistance. To make the inspections easier on you, hire an industrial equipment inspection company to assist you. An inspection company can look for things in your stations that may make them unsafe to use, including discolored water, foul odors, and corroded piping.
In addition to physically inspecting your eyewash equipment, an inspection company can run microbial tests on your water supply. Microbial tests look for signs of infectious contaminants, such as parasites and bacteria. Some microorganisms can grow in great numbers if they go unchecked.
If a company finds physical issues with your eyewash stations, they may recommend ways to repair them. You can also hire an outside source, such as an industrial equipment repair company, take care of your stations for you.
If a company's test reveals pathogens in your water stations, they can recommend ways to remedy these problems as well. It may be necessary for you to contact an industrial plumbing company to help you remove the pathogens from your water.
For more information on how to keep your eyewash stations safe, contact an eye wash station inspection company today.