Oxygen Safety Tips If oxygen is being used by residents in your facility, then you know that it does a wonderful job of helping to manage the symptoms of a number of medical conditions, including COPD, congestive heart failure, lung cancer, emphysema and occupational lung disease. However, oxygen can also be hazardous when not handled and used properly. Oxygen is not flammable, but fire needs it in order to burn. In an oxygen-rich environment, any fire that starts will burn faster and hotter. Increased oxygen also lowers the temperature at which things will ignite, including hair, clothing, plastic, skin oils, furniture, etc. The tips below were provided by the FDA with the goal of minimizing the risk of fire when oxygen is in use.1 Do not allow smoking or burning candles around oxygen. Store oxygen in a clean, dry location that is out of direct sunlight. Keep oxygen tank post valves, regulators, gauges and fittings away from all combustible substances, including oil, grease, lubricants and rubber. Have properly trained staff members handle the operation, cleaning, repairing and transfilling of oxygen equipment. Designate special tools for use on oxygen equipment and mark them "Use with Oxygen Equipment Only." Make sure that any components added to the regulator do not block the regulator vent holes. Use plugs, caps and plastic bags to protect equipment that is not in use. Additionally, your facility should display "No Smoking" signs anywhere that oxygen is in use and avoid taking residents who use oxygen to the beauty shop because of the potential hazard caused by sitting under hair dryers while wearing oxygen. To learn more, click here. Reference 1 U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA and NIOSH Public Health Advisory: Explosions and Fires in Aluminum Oxygen Regulators. Available at: http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/AlertsandNotices/PublicHealthNotifications/ucm062286.htm. Accessed January 4, 2012. Start Planning Your CEU Strategy for 2012! It's a brand new year, and now is the time to develop a strategy that will allow you and your staff to obtain all of the CEUs that you'll need in 2012. The Compliance® Continuing Education Program is a convenient, hassle-free solution! Our Web-based program covers more than 20 wide-ranging categories and the courses are appropriate for the majority of your nursing staff, including nurses, CNAs and licensed nursing home administrators. We’ve recently revamped our educational offerings and now offer 105 courses: 57 courses geared toward nurses with 69.5 CEUs 12 courses for licensed nursing home administrators with 17.25 CEUs 3 registered dietitian/dietitian tech courses with 3 CEUs 2 social worker courses with two CEUs 1 respiratory therapist course with an accompanying CEU 31 certificate courses, 18 geared toward CNAs and 12 for general staff When you talk to your territory manager about the program, be sure to ask about the financial benefits of choosing an online system versus paying to send your staff members to workshops and seminars! VisionAire™ Oxygen Concentrator The VisionAire oxygen concentrator is the lightest and quietest oxygen concentrator on today's market. At just 30 lbs., this lightweight, 5-LPM compact oxygen machine is both economical and power-efficient. Its operation is nearly silent and the unit is easy to use, easy to clean and virtually maintenance-free. Technical Specifications: Oxygen concentration: 1-5 LPM at 90% +5.5/-3% (based on 70°F [21°C] at sea level.) Dimensions: 20.8" H x 14.1" W x 11.5" D (52.8 cm H x 35.8 cm W x 29.2 cm D) Weight: 30 lbs. (13.6 kg) Power consumption: 290 Watts Alarms: Power failure, high and low pressure, temperature, low concentration (with optional oxygen monitor) Sound: 40 dBA Temperature range: Operational temperature: 41°F to 105°F (5°C to 40°C.) (Operating unit outside of this range can affect performance.) Storage temperature: -4°F to 140°F (-20°C to 60°C) Product pricing is only visible to registered promedsupply.com customers. If you are not yet registered, one of our Customer Care Professionals will be happy to get you set up. Just give us a call at (800) 648-5190.