Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Importance Of Portable Decontamination Shower

By Jennifer Long


Contamination with harmful chemicals or infectious agents is a problem that can be experienced anywhere in this world. In most countries, it is a must that casualties be cleaned at the scene of a chemical accident. In emergency and routine care of chemical incidents, it is important to have portable decontamination shower. Immediate response is usually necessary to reduce the cumulative effect toxins.

These decon showers are used for humans and sites that are exposed to harmful sites. They are used in the event of accidental, intentional or industrial contamination. A chemical accident can occur within the industry or during transportation. Radioactive contamination occurs due to an industrial accident or through a terrorist action. During diagnosis and assessment of new emerging diseases, disinfection is done to all workers and people within the quarantine region.

These above reasons prompt the use of decon units. Some chemical manufacturing plants have their workers cleaned out before they leave the premise as a safety precaution. On top of providing the routine services, the United State department of Labor requires these industries to be equipped for emergency cases. Most companies have mobile decons for emergency situations.

Decon showers are made to produce a lot of water that covers the whole body at a go. For this, they have large shower heads. The most important aspect for the unit is adequate supply of water from a mobile source. Water is used for cleaning the body and the equipment itself. The water must be warm to ensure decontamination takes place. The American National standard Institute terms the water warmth to be tepid. The equipments should be made of steel to prevent bacterial build up.

Most units in the past had levers that had to be pushed for the unit to start working. However, recent developments have sensors which turn the shower automatically. Part of the working mechanism is the ability to prevent accumulation of toxic vapours in the air within the unit. Water must have a great flow rate. Stretchers should be available for victims who cannot stand.

There are many decon units a company can purchase or hire. Some accommodate only a single person while others can contain multiple persons. There are those that can be disassembled to small parts and set up again. Some are light in weight and others heavy. When purchasing, the number of casualty is the main determinant to consider and the ease of setting up the equipment.

Decon units are usually set in the scene of the accidents for ease of access by the victims and to prevent spread of the contamination. An emergency set up should be within a walking distance of ten seconds. The decontamination process is done in three procedures. First, the victim clothing is removed plus any other possessions on them. The second part involves the cleaning procedure. Large amounts of water are used. The person stays under the water for a minimum of fifteen minutes. Lastly, the person is covered with clean clothes.

Immediate decontamination is necessary to reduce the effects of more absorption of toxic. It is also prudent to clean the casualties before transporting them to the hospital to avoid contamination of the ambulance. The unit should be set up such that it is the only exit from the scene. Most importantly it should be done in a safe environment despite the close proximity to the accident site.




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