Emergency shower for cancer centre in new wing

The Margery E. Yuill Cancer Centre in the new wing of Medicine Hat Regional Hospital will have an emergency shower to be used in the case of spills of hazardous materials.

The emergency shower is a new requirement and does not exist in the current cancer centre location, said Alberta Health Services.

The need to use the shower is expected to be rare — only in an emergency situation to wash off hazardous materials, said James Frey, AHS communications. The shower would not be used on a regular basis.

The emergency shower does not have a drain and containment tank. The water used in the shower will be contained and cleaned up in place, said Frey.

“The amount of water that would be released by the shower can be safely contained by the floor design and materials,” said Frey. “It was determined a drain could harbor micro-organisms and other contaminants, that could pose a risk to patients.”

Depending on the chemicals involved that require an emergency shower, different methods would be used for safely cleaning up water, he explained.

“The shower is only used for emergencies and the staff. In their current space, the Cancer Centre staff have not had to use an emergency shower in the last four years,” said Frey.

Sinks and eyewash stations in the current cancer centre have handled all skin contacts. The new space will have sinks, eyewash and the emergency shower, Frey explained.

Staff in the cancer centre wear protective clothing while administering cancer treatments such as chemotherapy.

“Only in the event of large contamination circumstances would an emergency shower be required, and that has not been needed since the cancer centre opened,” said Frey.