Finding the right eyewash station or emergency shower for your place of business will make a major difference in how quickly employees can receive treatment in the event an accident occurs with hazardous materials. Read the rest of this entry »

Eyewash stations and emergency showers are a vital part of any workplace, but especially those with workers handling hazardous substances. They provide on-the-spot decontamination that can prevent or at least reduce the level of injury from contamination. Read the rest of this entry »

Each industry has its own way of creating and measuring standards-plumbing, washroom and safety equipment included. Those standards are governed by organizations that work to make the standards common among countries, manufacturers and installers consistent. This improves safety for both the installer and the end user.

Organizations such as ANSI are far-reaching entities that work with standards developers of many industries. Others, such as ASME, are members of ANSI and create the actual standards for a small mix of industries.

ASME, true to its name, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, specifically works within the mechanical engineering industry. ASME’s mission is to standardize construction and installation instructions for items including boiler components, water heaters, elevators/escalators, hand tools, fasteners, fluid flow in pipes, fuel gas piping and machine tools. Read the rest of this entry »

You may have noticed that in the commercial plumbing, safety equipment and washroom equipment business, we like letters. Each brand of water heater is broken up primarily by a lettering system and eyewash stations have letters in their designations.

There’s a couple big ones that are really important like ANSI and ASME. It’s easy to get the two confused because they both deal with standards for equipment such as safety equipment, washroom equipment, etc. They are related, but each has their own function. In the next two blog entries we’ll share a bit about each including what they do, where they come from and why they matter.

First, let’s look at ANSI. Read the rest of this entry »

In an "open" system, the oxygen in the water, and its reaction when exposed to the catalyst of heat, contributes to potential corrosion of the system's components. Therefore, all components should have superior corrosion resistance and may be made out of non-ferrous metals (like brass, copper or bronze) or stainless steel, titanium, etc. Because the components of an "open" system must resist corrosion, they often are more costly than those used in "closed" systems. "Closed" systems may use air-removal devices, expansion tanks, piping equipped with an oxygen barrier and backflow preventers. Usually, the water inside a closed system often is the same water with which it initially was filled. After the oxygen is removed, potential corrosion risks are diminished. This means less-expensive pumps, piping and components may be used. Read the rest of this entry »