Tag Archives: decontamination

General Safety Issues, Protective Clothing

THE MOST IMPORTANT EQUIPMENT FOR DECONTAMINATION (GUEST POST)

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The removal, reduction or neutralization of chemicals or contaminants is known as decontamination. It is very important to maintain safety especially at sites containing hazardous waste. Safety products protect the workers from the wastes which eventually contaminate vehicles, tools, on site equipments, etc. Not only that, it may also affect protective clothing and respiratory equipments. It is therefore a necessary step in many facilities.

One of the most important decontamination equipment is Hazmat Portable decontamination system. The portable system by Hazmat is a patented equipment which can easily be transported as its name suggests and can be assembled on site. It comes with the decon hoop having both external handles as well as ones inside, the pool, pump as well as a soap injector. These come with FSI North America’s, a division of Fire Safety International, certification, making it absolutely safe. Let us look at its advantages:

  • It is lightweight yet extremely durable. This makes it perfect for emergency situations besides ensuring longevity of the equipment.

  • Designed for quick set up through rapid inflation it also avoids water wastage by not only reducing the amount of water required for removal of contaminants but keeping the hazardous liquid waste water trapped in.

  • Its ¾” hose with its multi low flow precision spray nozzles the amount of water is directed and effectively cleans the contaminated or affected parts much better, avoiding a great deal of spillage. The precision of these are also such that not a lot of time is needed for removing the contaminants thereby each piece of equipment can serve more people in emergency situations, where availability might be limited. Given the nature of things today equipments providing broad coverage without using a great deal of water are sought after and this is where Hazmat delivers.

  • Aluminum pipe and tube won’t corrode thereby meaning a single piece of this equipment would last long.

  • Even though it does not provide the privacy of zippered doors allowing for complete body wash where necessary, its cost effective nature gives it a distinct edge over other models. This is one of the primary reasons why it is still preferred as an economical and convenient equipment by first response units. It is also often found in factories which might be dealing with hazardous waste material as a quick shower system.

  • When it comes to compactness of storage and handling especially if one needs to use it situations without a lot of available space, there is nothing like this system from Hazmat. It can ideally be placed in almost all sorts of areas and with the ease of assembling without tools the setting up time is almost negligible.

  • Not only does the design allow for ease of use whether in a full loop or half loop but there are two extended handles provided in case the existing ones are already extended to their maximum.

  • Perhaps what takes a piece of the cake is that one can ask for custom sizes upon special pre-order requests. As if all of the above wasn’t enough.  

With emergency situations it is always better to be safe and come prepared with the finest decontamination equipment. With Hazmat you get the best deal.

Author Bio:- Olivia Grey is freelance writter and has written many articles on safety for many websites like safety.com. She has written this article on the behalf of mitico.com. You can follow Olivia on twitter @ OliviaGrey8.

 

Eye Protection, General Safety Issues, Hand Protection, Head Protection, Protective Clothing, Respiratory Safety

SAFETY TIPS FOR DECONTAMINATION FOLLOWING DISASTERS

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Waters after hurricane/flood/tornadoes can be contaminated with sewage, industrial waste, microorganisms, chemicals, and other substances that can cause illness or death.  In these environments, it becomes necessary for professional rescue workers, along with volunteers, to begin the tasks of decontaminating the properties that are still standing.  An important step in preventing disease is to disinfect clothing, tools/equipment, and work area surfaces.  

Good old household bleach solutions can be used for decontamination purposes when working around these hazards.  It is important to workers and volunteers that good hand hygiene is established.  Hands should be washed with clean soap and water if at all possible.  If only contaminated water is available, use ¼ cup of bleach per 1 gallon of water.  When cleaning hand tools, immerse them in the solution.  Severe surface decontamination needs to be disinfected using a solution of 1½ cups of bleach to 1 gallon of water.  Allow this to stand 3 minutes. 

It is important to mix bleach solutions fresh daily, just before use.  The solution needs to stand for 30 minutes before using.  Wipe electric or battery-operated tools with bleach solution.  It is also imperative that you wear gloves, and eye protection when cleaning clothes, tools, and surfaces.  When mold is present, use respirators (N-95 recommended).  Never mix ammonia products with bleach. 

An Added Problem 

Emergency responders don’t often consider technical animal decontamination, yet the possibility absolutely exists.  Common HAZMAT situations involving animals include septic tank falls, inadvertent chemical overspray, swamps, flooding, and gasoline from automobile and trailer wrecks.  Animal handling and decontamination is an integral part of any HAZMAT response where animals are potentially exposed to hazardous chemical releases. Contaminated animals pose a health and safety threat to any human they contact after removal from a hazardous environment if they are not properly decontaminated.  This requires proper training and equipment for first responders and well thought out plans for animal management before, during and after the decontamination process.  Sights of deserted animals are heartbreaking, and there are rescue agencies that take them in and rehabilitate them, finding new owners if the original owners are not found. 

Because there is such a threat of disease, all precautionary measures should be taken by workers, volunteers and homeowners.  Wearing proper PPE personal protective equipment for different situations is of the utmost importance.