Information On Portable Decontamination Shower

By Jennifer Long


Contact with chemicals, radioactive substances and infectious materials cause a person to be contaminated. This causes a great risk to the health and life of a person unless immediate action is taken to remove the contagious material. In such cases it is necessary to use portable decontamination shower for remedy.

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.

Modern devices have sensors that activate the system once a person steps in cleaning zone. The unit should be able to accommodate the ambulant and non ambulant victims in a favorable way. To ensure comfort of the victim, the environment should be well heated. The unit should be set up such that there is good air flow to avoid contamination of air from evaporating chemicals. The flow rate of water must be high.

There are a variety of decon equipments that the market has to offer. The latest models are lighter despite being metal cased. There are brief case sized units that are collapsible. New trends provide equipments that are fast and easy to set up and disassemble. They should be easy to transport and store. In spite of the unit being mobile, it should have the right length, width and height that can accommodate all sizes of people.

For effectiveness, the decon units should be set in the chemically exposed areas. They should be within reach by walking for about ten seconds. The process of decontamination involves three steps. The first part involves undressing and stripping. Then the casualty steps in the cleaning unit. For optimum results, the person should stay in the shower for at least fifteen minutes. In the last part, the person is given clean clothes and taken to the hospitals depending on the case.

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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