Press Release

Does the Bio Med Wash product meet ISEA/ANSI Standard Z358.1-2009

Posted by leedman on June 13, 2012 / Posted in Press Release

Fragile: Handle with Care

ISEA/ANSI Standard Z358.1-2009 pertains to 15-minute continuous flow eyewash and shower requirements. Specifically, it covers

… plumbed and self-contained emergency showers and emergency eyewash equipment, eye/face wash equipment, combination units, personal wash units and hand-held drench hoses.

Source: ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2009

When it comes to hard-mount equipment, having the ability to provide 15-minutes of continuous flow, and manage the temperature of the solution, more stringent standards must be implemented. The standard must provide the best coverage possible for the worst-case scenario. While many businesses look upon the requirement as major overkill, never having a need for a 15-minute flow gravity station that costs huge money to buy and maintain, it is also an absolute must in some other workplace environments where the risk to life and safety, by nature of the job, is much higher.

Standards are meant to save life and limb.

ISEA/ANSI Standard Z358.1-2009 does talk about personal wash units. And here is what that has to say about personal eyewash units.

Personal Eye Wash and Eyesaline Requirements

A Personal Eye Wash is a supplementary eye wash that supports plumbed units, gravity-feed units, or both by delivering immediate flushing fluid.

NOTE: Personal eye wash units can provide immediate flushing when they are located near the workstations. Personal eye wash equipment does not meet the requirements of plumbed or gravity-feed eye wash equipment. Personal eye wash units can support plumbed or gravity-feed eye wash units, but cannot be a substitute.

Personal eye wash can be delivered through bottles of saline solution designed to simulate human tears. Individual bottles can be carried by workers and provide relief until in the crucial seconds until an approved eye wash station installation can be reached.

Again, please note that the primary reason for mentioning these personal units, is to ensure that an emphasis returns the business owner and safety personnel to the fact that personal eye wash is a supplement eye wash that supports plumbed units, gravity-feed stations, or both. The implication here is that Personal Eye Wash does not negate the requirement to have a primary 15-minute, plumbed or gravity-fed, unit as well.

Where Bio Med Wash must meet more stringent health requirements is as a first aid product. Same with saline solutions, antiseptic wipes, and so forth, personal washes and skin rinses require approval from Health Canada. The nature of the product determines the type of approval. They’re either classified as a drug and assigned a drug identification number, DIN, or they’re classified as a natural product and assigned a natural product number, NPN. Bio Med Wash NPN approval from Health Canada.

For many low-risk workplaces, mounting a tap-adaptor eyewash unit resolves the minimum requirement for continuous flow. Tap water, however, is also difficult to manage for sterility, comfort and ease of use. This is what makes the personal eyewash stations more viable, plus these wall mount stations can be placed closer to the risk hazards. This helps people with eye injuries to seek initial treatment that can assist a speedier recover and access to a continuous or 15-minute flow unit. Bio Med Wash, in fact, also offers holsters for immediate personal access.

Speak to someone regarding risk assessment and ensure you find the right solutions for your workplace. There are many choices, and risk assessment provides guidance that allows you to make the correct purchasing decisions to meet the ANSI standard. Then you can use Bio Med Wash as your supplemental eyewash, perfect close to high risk areas, and portable for field work.

The investments are huge initially. So are the savings. Lives and eyes. Bio Med Wash helps manage the ongoing maintenance costs of your eyewash program. Talk to your safety supplier and talk about these issues further.

Resources:

Material Safety Data Sheet for Bio Med Wash Updated

Posted by leedman on February 08, 2012 / Posted in Press Release

In response to Canadian Regulatory requirements, further updates have been made to the Material Safety Data Sheet for the Bio Med Wash product. You can download and/or print the updated Bio Med Wash MSDS English copy from this site – Visit Bio Med Wash MSDS.

A French version of the Material Safety Data Sheet ~~will be available soon. Please stay tuned.~~ is now also available for download or online viewing at Bio Med Wash MSDS.

Further, in response to Canadian regulations, an additional label has been added to the product warning that the product is a pressurized container.

Bio-Logic Aqua Research USA Announces Partnership with Western Safety Products BioMedWashCanada.com

Posted by leedman on December 21, 2011 / Posted in Press Release

Courtesy of PR WEB & Bio-Logic Aqua Research

Sharon Kleyne, Founder and Chairman of Bio-Logic Aqua Research of Grants Pass, Oregon, USA, and Co-Founder and CEO Willem Kleyne, have announced a partnership between their company and Western Safety Products of Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada. Western Safety will become the exclusive Canadian distributor for Bio Med Wash®, the only personal eye wash device, globally, that is portable, hand-held, all-water and all-natural.

Bio Med Wash was developed after the September 11, 2001 attacks, when Bio-Logic Aqua discovered that many people couldn’t find their way out of the burning buildings due to fumes, heat and smoke in their eyes. Bio-Med Wash can be carried on the person and used while walking, with no stinging, burning or disorientation.

Bob Sask and Dan Barron, co-owners of Western Safety, have announced that they will make Bio-Med Wash available to Canada’s major industries, including the oil fields.

According to Bob Sask, “Bio Med Wash is an important addition to Western Safety’s first response safety product line. We have sold thousands of units with exciting response. This is the first hand-held eye wash that is truly portable.”

Western Safety has partnered to distribute all Bio Med Wash products and accessories:

Three-ounce and seven-ounce personal hand-held spray devices, a two-unit safety eye wash station, a 15-unit eye wash station, belt holsters, truck mounts and carrying cases. The product is available in military camouflage.

Sharon Kleyne notes that Bio Med Wash is easily carried on the person (with belt holster) by outdoor utility workers, oil fields, construction sites and first responders such as police, fire fighters, emergency medical personnel and the military. In industrial settings, the stations do not have to be plumbed and may be cost effectively located every few feet. The contents of the spray bottle remain sterile even when the unit is partially used and when surrounding conditions are unsanitary.

Bio Med Wash has been approved for Canadian distribution by Health Canada and other Canadian regulatory agencies. Bio-Logic Aqua Research has been awarded a Canadian patent with the product Nature’s Tears EyeMist application for dry eyes.

Bio Med Wash is available in the Canada through http://www.westernsafety.ca/ and major industrial first aid distributors throughout Canada. It is available in the United States through several major first aid product distributors and may be purchased online at http://www.Bio-LogicAqua.com.

Recent Worker Injuries Involving Acid

Posted by leedman on December 02, 2011 / Posted in Press Release

In Montreal Canada a recent workplace accident involved acid being sprayed from a machine, completely by accident, completely unexpected. The two workers involved received serious acid burns to about half of their bodies.
( See Story )

No details concerning the injuries indicate the flow of events from time of the acid spray to the time that the emergency responders arrived and found the two men in the emergency showers. All the same, it conjures up a number of possibilities, and potential opportunities to be better prepared in the future.

Had the men received any of the acid spray in and around their eyes, their sight would be immediately compromised. If this in fact did happen to these two men, it is likely that it hampered their ability to make a quick exit toward the emergency showers to wash of the acid spray.

Bio Med Wash has hip holsters for both the 3oz and 7oz cans. Had their eyesight been compromised, they could have quickly reached to their hips, activated the eyewash spray from the Bio Med Wash cans, and washed their eyes out quickly. This would enable them to get to the emergency showers much more quickly and to reduce the impact of the acid spray damage to the rest of their bodies.

Food for thought.

Updates for Labelling, Health Canada Approval, and MSDS

Posted by leedman on December 02, 2011 / Posted in Press Release

With requests for current updates relating to the Health Canada approvals, where a copy of the material safety data sheet can be found, and how to address product already in circulation using the old labelling, a number of updated resources for your convenience.

Health Canada Approval

First and foremost, the Health Canada Approval recognizes Bio Med Wash as a natural health product and assigned an appropriate NPN number for the product to be sold in Canada. You can read more about the approval, and view or download the approval letter which has been scanned to a PDF on the Health Canada Approval page.

Old Labels

A number of customers who purchased the product before Health Canada became involved, have received the product with the old labelling which identifies the product as an Eye and First Aid Spray. The directions for use inadequately explained how to use the product as an eyewash. Those customers with the older cans, may continue to have them on-sites for emergency use for a few years yet, as the product does have a 4-year shelf life.

To address the concerns brought to our attention, the current labelling information pertinent to the use of the eyewash spray, has been added and can be found on the Canadian Label Updated page.

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

Businesses responsible for the safety and well being of their employees recognize the importance of having proper records on hand for the products they purchase. Material Safety Data Sheets are no exception and with a number of calls requesting a copy, we have finally uploaded a copy of the MSDS for Bio Med Wash.

You can view or download a copy of the Bio Med Wash MSDS on that page.

Transit Driver Safety: Bio Med Wash Eye Wash & First Aid Spray

Posted by leedman on November 26, 2011 / Posted in Press Release

Transit drivers are subject to the possibility of anything happening along city bus routes. With people from all walks of life, routes that pass through the most depraved neighborhoods, and the drunken craziness of weekend early mornings, these drivers face unspeakable abuse at times, and have their personal safety jeopardized every day.

Buses are already properly equipped with a well stocked and supplied first aid kit, ready for nearly any emergency. They’re not all the way there yet though. Every bus would do well to have an AED on board for assisted CPR. More importantly, every driver should have access to eyewash and a first aid wash to deal with possible contaminants, particulate in the eye, and even liquids from what people spit, drink, or otherwise dispense from body or containers. Not a pretty picture.

These incidents are not a common daily occurrence but they do happen, and often enough to constitute a problem that needs some alternatives to properly manage the risks to public and driver health and safety. A driver’s eyesight is of critical importance for the task at hand.

Bio Med Wash emergency eyewash comes in conveniently sized cans, and a variety of options for equipping personnel.

Hip Holster for 3oz or 7oz cans
Single Mounts for in-vehicle 7oz cans
Soft-Sided Bag to carry 12-15 cans

For worst-case scenarios, a bus carrying 12-15 cans is not such an unreasonable idea. However, it would also be a very expensive eyewash program just to prepare for the worst case scenario. More often than not, intermediate steps don’t typically need to be that extravagant and the most common risk factor, the driver, having access to a personal eyewash, the cost-benefit would be far more justifiable. These decisions are best made by each company’s Safety Committee; and if you don’t have one – start one.

As you can see, there are numerous scenarios where the application of an emergency eyewash, or wound wash, calls for quick access to Bio Med Wash. Remaining sterile, due to its method of application and delivery, this eyewash can provide multiple sprays for multiple victims, within the 60-90 seconds of spray time. Properly trained personnel, able to respond having access to their own personal eyewash, can then turn their attention more efficiently and effectively on other potential victims.

Visit the Distributors Directory to find a Bio Med Wash distributor close to you. If they need cameras on today’s buses, drivers need access to an easy-to-use eyewash and first aid spray that is as versatile and advanced as Bio Med Wash.

Bio Med Wash Outdoors in the Winter – It will freeze!

Posted by leedman on November 24, 2011 / Posted in Press Release

Eyewash, whether this product or another, will freeze if left outside (in vehicles or trailers) for extended periods of time.

What happens if the eyewash freezes?

If Bio Med Wash freezes, it can be thawed and the contents will remain completely unaffected. With some saline solution eyewashes, once they freeze crystals will separate from the solution and quite often won’t disappear after being thawed. Now you have particles in your eyewash solution that renders it ineffective as an eyewash. With Bio Med Wash, this won’t happen as it is pure water (tissue-culture grade).

Even without freezing, the water or saline of any eyewash product will be so cold, that the experience of washing out eyes could be rather uncomfortable, and possibly even painful; brain-freeze ayone?

So what can we do?

12 or 15 can soft-side bag

Bio Med Wash also has a convenient carry-bag (soft-side) with padding that can act as an insulative barrier. The trick, is how to keep the contents in the bag warm?

Speaking with an end-user customer with a number of their crew working outside, the simple solution of buying the soft-side bag for the eyewash for your 7oz cans, and adding a few handwarmers (maybe one will be enough) inside the bag to create a safe heat-source. In this way, the interior of the bag will help prevent freezing of the eyewash, and of course, adds the element of portability for outdoor workers that need to keep eyewash within reach and usable.

Find a Bio Med Wash Distributor Near You

Posted by leedman on November 22, 2011 / Posted in Press Release

Bio Med Wash Twin Pack

Western Safety Products Ltd. has been working hard to establish relationships with other first aid and safety suppliers across Canada. With the network of stores carrying the Bio Med Wash product growing across Canada, we felt it necessary to help bridge the connections so you can find a source closest to you. If your first aid and safety supplier is not currently carrying the Bio Med Wash product, they can approach us to inquire about distributor terms.

Visit the Distributor page and if you see someone missing, send us a note with the details.

First Ever Eye Wash Application Carried on the Belt

Posted by leedman on November 18, 2011 / Posted in Press Release

Remember the 9/11 disaster? The chaos, the dust and debris, the fire fighters covered in all sorts of grime, everyone looking for shelter from the unsavoury atmosphere?

First responders have never had a personal, portable, handheld device, carried on the belt, to immediately clear impaired vision. When there is a disaster involving smoke, fire, particulate matter, perspiration, explosion, heat, dust or chemical fumes, the eyes are compromised first.

When eyesight is compromised, lives may be lost.

Sharon and Bill Kleyne, co-founders of Bio-Logic Aqua Research, became deeply concerned about this dilemma as they watched the 9/11/01 disaster unfold. Inspired, they pursued a vision and during their research and development phase, which included interviews with police, military, fire fighters, rescue workers, and Homeland Security, they discovered that in the twin towers collapse, and many other disasters, lives were lost because evacuees and rescuers got perspiration, dust, fumes and smoke in their eyes and they could not see to find their way out. An easy-to-use, personal, portable handheld device for clearing vision, carried at the belt, would have saved many lives.

There was no such product on 9/11/01. There is now!

Application of this new emergency breakthrough product, Bio Med Wash all-natural, all-green first aid wash for eyes and skin, is surprisingly immediate, easy and safe. The device may be deployed to the eyes while walking or running, without disorientation, burning or blurring. Bio Med Wash contains 100% Bio-Logic Aqua tissue culture grade water (our TRADE SECRET) applied as a spray to naturally and gently flush and hydrate the eyes.

Bio Med Wash provides a proactive portable benefit to temporarily wash and maintain the first responder’s affected eyesight. Bio-Logic Aqua Research recommends that every emergency responder carry this device and that they deploy a new container for each rescue operation (although previously actuated and partially used containers remain 100% safe and effective). Apply Bio Med Wash to irrigate, wash and soothe eyes (and skin) compromised by smoke, fire, particulate matter, perspiration, explosions, heat, dust, chemcial fumes, OC (pepper) spray, tear gas, and much more.

To achieve the goal of having no additional lives lost to compromised eyesight, Bio-Logic Aqua Research woud like to assure that all first responders have the opportunity to carry Bio Med Wash on their belt and are trained in the product’s application. Eventually, many buildings and worksites will be outfitted with Bio Med Wash eye wash stations so that evacuees, as well as rescue workers, will have access to the product in an emergency.

This personal, portable handheld device will save lives!

Bio Med Wash; New Hand-Held Emergency Eye Wash

Posted by leedman on November 15, 2011 / Posted in Press Release

Bio-Logic Aqua Research, of Grants Pass, Oregon, announces the first hand held emergency eye wash and skin wash device for first aid and emergency response. How will this breakthrough product, Bio Med Wash, save lives?

Smoke, heat and dust may make it impossible to see. Plumbed eyewash stations require stopping and are intended for single person use. Chemical washes may cause blurred vision, disorientation and allergic reaction.

And now, in response to requests by emergency medical professionals, there is BIO MED WASH.

Bio Med Wash is an all-natural first aid water wash for eyes, skin and wounds. Bio Med Wash can be used for irritation due to dust, smoke, heat, fumes, pepper spray, wounds, burns, skin irritants, etc.

Bio Med Wash utilizes bag-on-valve technology, releasing a pressurized sterile water spray. It remains sterile under unsanitary conditions – even when the unit is partially expended.

Bio Med Wash is a hand-held trigger grip device, and can be carried in a pocket or on belt, and may be actuated while running and safely handed off to multiple individuals!

Bio Med Wash is the fastest growing first aid device in sales in the US and Canada. Bio Med Wash has been sold to and endorsed by major US police departments and US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.