Many accidents can happen in areas like factories, hospitals, construction sites, laboratories where toxic chemicals are used in abundance. All such areas have compulsion by law to have well equipped emergency shelters, so first aid can be provided in case a toxic substance leaks or spills, or any other type of such accident occurs.

The foremost action that needs to be taken in case of any such emergency is to decontaminate the site of the accident with water. It is quite possible that poisonous fumes will spread as they tend to be produced when chemicals react with other materials. The person or persons who have been exposed to the accident must be rushed to the emergency shelter immediately.

Every emergency shelter must contain eyewash station, emergency showers, first aid box, large size towels, white cotton gowns, or just large cotton sheets to cover the victims after they wash out the entire toxic chemical from their bodies

The emergency shelter should always be made in close proximity, so that if any emergency or accident occurs, the victims should be able to reach there by themselves. The eyewash stations and emergency showers should be easy to operate. They can be automatic with a touch-button, or they can simply be operated with a simple lever operated by foot pedals.

Water should be available in abundance to wash off all the contamination from the body. The water available should be kept at room temperature. It is very important to make sure that the water is always available in tanks in abundance, because an emergency or an accident can happen at any time.

The eyewash station serves the purpose of cleaning the eye with water if some chemical gets into the eye. Water is the best option to wash the affected eye with, wash with water for at least 10 to 15 minutes. After the emergency procedure is completed, the doctor should be consulted. Water is let out in blasts from the emergency showers. Therefore, it is necessary to make sure that the pressure of the blast is reasonable enough, and it does not cause any damage to the victim. The placement of the emergency shower is always of vital importance.

It is very important to maintain a regular check up of the emergency shelter. Any leakage in the pipes channelling water to the shower, or tanks should be repaired immediately. Similarly, the levers should be checked for any sign of rust, or damage. An emergency shelter in a poor state cannot provide relief to the victims, and this carelessness may even result in the death of the victim.

Decontamination is the foremost function of the emergency shelters, which is meant to clean the body of the victim, and wash off any contamination present on it. Contamination is always dangerous and may cause damages. Victims affected from chemicals often get serious burns. Therefore, for decontamination there should be emergency shelters. Another important thing is that all the workers must be aware of the locality of the emergency shelter, and its proper use.

Louise Jones is a safety expert. You can buy variety of emergency shelters at his recommended site at http://www.hughes-safety-showers.co.uk.