Safety showers.

[Wolfgang]

G'day all,

Just wondering what the situation is regarding the presence or absence of safety showers in science facilities. I'm particularly interested in facilities that have been built within the last few years and whether safety showers have been included (but installations into older labs would also be of interest!).

Any replies gratefully appreciated!

Cheers,

Craig Thomas
Lab Manager
Charles La Trobe College.

[noona]

I have one in my prep room it came with the upgrade

[jodye]

Hi Craig,

We don't have safety showers in 3 of our 7 labs or the 3 prep rooms, only very old hand held showers. Since starting my WHS diploma and doing all the site inspections for the school I have found out that we have to have proper safety showers installed. I have told my business manager this and she is getting quotes etc.. but is stalling as we don't have existing plumbing for them so it will prove to be expensive. I told her I won't be handleing any concentrated acids or allowing students to use acids in those labs until the showers are installed.
I contacted another fairly new school and was told by the HOD that when they built the school, they failed to put in showers so he made them install them,with no drainage, before he would allow classes to use the new labs.
This then presented another WHS issue. The water would flood the lab and be a slip hazard.

[linotas]

I work at two schools and both are new labs (built in the last 3 years) One has a safety shower in (or very near) each lab. One did not have a safety shower but had hand held shower/eye wash stations in even lab and the prep room (central prep room) I harassed the school until they retro fitted a safety shower in the prep room. Their reasoning for not having one was that students are always supervised therefore did not need a hands free shower yada, yada, yada. I argued that was fine but what about me (and my job share) who work alone and in the holidays. I'm still not happy about not having a hands free eyewash, but at least I have a shower. We ran it off existing plumbing (sink) and luckily had a drain in the prep room floor anyway. It sits above the sink just with the handle flush with the cupboard so as not to cause a hazard. I would not work in a school if they did not have a proper safety shower.

[coxy123]

We only have a proper safety shower in the two recently refurbished labs. The other four labs have a sink - with the hand-held hoses being split and broken by students - so literally no showers. Also, the safety shower in the prep room is right beside two double powerpoints, has no drain, and is less than 1metre from the chemical storage shelves.

[mtg]

Our refurb will give us a shower but without a drain as this is too expensive! We have hand-helds in both science rooms, nothing in the prep room. But I have never had need of one in 25 years so management seems to think they're not really necessary. The hand-helds have only been used a couple of times.

[jodye]

Lintos,

Where did you get the showers from? Did the plumber have trouble installing them? I am trying to source one for my prep room.

[jodye]

Sorry, Linotas not lintos..fingers too slow for the brain!

[linotas]

Jodye, There was no problem in instillation as they just tapped into the existing plumbing over the sink. SO the shower head sits high overhead in front of the main prep room sink (that conveniently had a drain in the floor) and the handle runs next to the cabinetry over the sink. It means we lost a smidgeon of shelf space because of the handle, but that wasn't a problem.

As to where they got it, I'm not sure as the plumber sourced it. However, if you google anyone who sells safety products (Seatons etc) and look for a wall mounted safety shower, they are pretty common. From memory when I first did a bit of research they are around the $400 mark.

[CC]

We have one in the main prep room that came with our upgrade, but there is no drain anywhere on the floor. I was told this was ok because I had non slip flooring!

[Wolfgang]

Thanks for all your replies. My recommendation that safety showers be installed looks as though it will be refused. We had an entire new campus built two years ago and I had assumed that such features would be installed. Alas, I was mistaken........

[sunray18]

I have contacted Worksafe and was told that it does not matter if it is a school - there must be a safety shower installed to certain LEGAL specifications. It must be 1.8M square. I have informed my school WHS committee but it looks like they are not going to do anything - citing differences between school and industry and that we just do not need what they need in an industrial laboratory. Worksafe says there is NO difference in LAW... I think there is an entrenched mentality that assumes that schools do not have to comply with any law that affects industry... little do they understand!

[bella]

I have a safety shower and eye wash in the (2010 ber)science building. Shower drops onto floor which has a drain hole, but the floor is level so water doesnt always run out but goes everywhere. Eye wash is not plumbed at all and drops out of pipe onto gyprock wall and skirting board. I spoke to a plumber. he said the stations are designed for industry sites and are usually outside where lack of drains is not a big issue. Have put a hose from eyewash outlet to shower drain. This protects the wall, and have got a mop bucket because of course the students have to activate shower or eyewash when doing pracs.sign on wall asks students to request mop bucket before playing with wash bay, a bit of mopping up seems to put them off touching cheers bella

[linotas]

Sunray, that's initially the tack my school took as well. However, when I pushed the matter and asked questions like what would happen if conc sulphuric acid got spilt on me whilst I was woking alone etc etc, then they changed their tune. I agree the standards can be read with schools in mind, but some issues, such as basic safety equipment, can not be compromised. To me saying a safety shower is not needed is like saying that a fire extinguisher or chemical spill kit is not needed either.

[sunray18]

Thye have overcome the issue by telling me that I must never use concentrated acids when alone in the prep room. Ihave an assistant comes in 5 hours a week and I am to wait until she is in at work to make up any dilutions I need to make - and we are tow work together while I do it.. sounds fine...EXCEPT.. what about when teachers request conc sulfuric to do the sugar volcano, or for lignin or for other pracs? Do i say "NO you have to wait until my assistant is in".. BUT more than that - I see it as a total rebellion against the Law. I wish there was some way , anonymously, to get workcover to come and TELL them.
What is this selective blindness/ or is it an attitude of "we are teachers and we can do what we like"

[Labbie]

Want about having your head teacher or a chemistry teacher sit in the prep room while you do the dilution. That way you do have some one with you, when using concentrated acids.

[macca]

Even if you do have someone with you and something happens what do they expect the other person to do "throw a bucket of water over you". I'm expected to run across to the other side of the school to the staffroom shower.

[kjt]

Safety showers/Eye wash stations often do not have drains nearby, unless a separate waste system is in place, as this prevents the 'dangerous' chemicals from being washed into the sewer system if the showers are used.

Annoying, I know! We keep a bucket and mop handy in case of accidental (or deliberate by student) use. Spill kits should also have a long barrier in them that can be put on floor to stop the spread of water.

[linotas]

Sunray, you can ring workcover and tell them of unsafe work conditions. You do not have to be identified. Our WHS rep got so sick of the builders on site disobeying worksafe orders that he ended up ringing workcover anonymously and they came down quick smart and issued a stop work notice. If you don't want to go to that extreme, ring them and ask them for their professional advice.

[sunray18]

Success: WHS Committe have decided to put in a safety shower for the Prep Room and upgrade on in a lab in another building. The progressively see about the other labs.