Equipment Corporation of America (ECA) has promoted Anthony Sciortino to northeast regional sales manager. He will manage all of the firm’s product lines in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.
Sciortino came to ECA when the company acquired New England Construction Products in 2015. He had been serving as a mechanic and sales representative at the time. Sciortino was named sales engineer in March 2015 and held that position until now.
“Anthony is well-rounded with deep roots and in-depth knowledge of the New England market,” said Jeff Harmston, ECA’s vice president – sales and marketing. “We’re looking forward to giving him greater responsibility to develop this region.”
Sciortino earned a Bachelor of Science in construction management at the University of Massachusetts. Although he enjoys golfing in summer and snowboarding in the winter, most of his free time is spent with family.
Ten things facility managers should know about eyewashes
Many in facility management believe that eyewash stations are only necessary for industrial locations where powerful or potentially dangerous chemicals are used. That is not the case.
Eye injuries, of which there are approximately 300,000 annually in the U.S., can occur in about any work setting.
“In fact, eye injuries in office buildings, schools and public spaces are far more common than many people realize,” said Dennis Knapp, director of product development for Impact Products. “Invariably, the faster these injuries are addressed, the less likely they can cause permanent injury.”
The following information is what facility managers need to know:
- Seconds – The first few seconds after an accident are critical. Victims of an eye injury should be able to reach some type of eyewash station within 10 seconds, the equivalent of about 55 feet.
- Minutes – If a built-in eyewash station is installed, eyes should be rinsed for five minutes for non-chemical irritants, 15 to 20 minutes for more severe or chemical-related accidents and up to 60 minutes if the worker’s eyes are exposed to strong alkalis such as sodium hydroxide or calcium hydroxide.
- Open and rotate – The worker should hold their eyelids open and rotate their eyeballs in all directions.
- Repeat – If irritation persists, repeat the process.
- No shower – Injured workers should not take a shower. A conventional shower can exert too much pressure on the eyes and cause further damage.
- Face and eyes – Note that eyewash cleaning solutions are for the face and eyes only. They are not designed for head or skin rinsing.
- Visible – Eyewash stations or solutions should be easily visible, on the same floor and near an emergency exit.
- Report – All eye injuries, as with most work-related injuries, must be reported to management.
- Eyewash fluids – Managers can also install supplemental plastic eyewash stations to be used until a worker is brought to an emergency room. These are specially designed plastic bottles filled with saline solution. Select bottles that have a wide-mouth to help cover the entire eye when used.
- You decide – In some cases, the worker may want to go back to work after using an installed or plastic eye washing station. This is a management decision, not the worker’s. It is usually best that the worker visit an emergency room to be sure their eyes have not sustained damage and that they are okay to return to work.
