Patent Publication Number: US-2003227236-A1

Title: Modular safety station

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] This invention relates generally to modular cabinets, and in particular to modular cabinets that are often referred to as safety stations and that may be used at a construction site for purposes of storing and displaying safety, emergency and medical equipment, protocols, notices and similar materials.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] In most jurisdictions the operation of a construction site is subject to a large number of governmental controls, regulations and requirements directed to ensuring the safety of workers on site and to facilitating the provision of medical and emergency treatment in the event of an accident or a sickness. In many instances local regulations require that first aid kits, fire extinguishers, and other safety and medical equipment be made available at a construction site, but often do not specify where and how they are to be stored. As a result, such devices and equipment may be stored at different locations around the construction site, or in different manners at different sites, making their retrieval difficult or time consuming in emergency situations. In addition to regulations requiring that a construction site have on hand basic medical or emergency supplies, many jurisdictions also require that Ministry of Labour inspection reports and notices of compliance, Worker&#39;s Compensation forms and information, and other governmental issued permits and certificates be openly posted or displayed. In some cases information required to be posted could include emergency medical contact information, site specific emergency protocols, and similar information designed to provide instructions and serve as a source of information that may be quickly accessed in the event of an emergency. However, as with medical and safety equipment stored on site, such notices and information are often posted on bulletin boards that may be at various locations around the construction site, or that may be found at different locations from one construction site to the next. Notices and other documents are also sometimes stapled or otherwise fastened to walls in common areas or site management offices. Neither instance is ideal since access to the information may prove to be difficult or time consuming.  
       [0003] When an accident or emergency occurs at a construction site, to ensure the safety, and in some cases the survival, of workers it is often critical that emergency and medical equipment and devices, and general information and protocols, be easily, readily and quickly accessible to all individuals on site. It is also desirable for such equipment and information to be stored in a common manner from one construction site to the next to help avoid confusion with respect to workers that may travel between individual construction sites or projects. There is therefore the need for a mechanism that permits the assembly and storage of all such equipment, materials and information in a central location that may be easily accessed by anyone when necessary.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004] The invention therefore provides a modular cabinet or safety station that may be used to store and contain all of the necessary, required and desirable safety and emergency equipment for a particular construction site, and that may also be used to readily and openly display all necessary and required permits, reports, emergency contact information, protocols, safety and medical information, etc.  
       [0005] Accordingly, in one of its aspects the invention provides a modular safety station comprising; a cabinet having a front and having generally enclosed top, bottom, rear and side surfaces and a generally open interior capable of receiving and storing a plurality of safety, emergency and medical devices and equipment; and, at least one display panel secured to said cabinet, said display panel moveable from a first position wherein said display panel is held adjacent to at least one of the top, bottom, rear, side or front surfaces of the cabinet to a second position wherein said display panel is extended from said cabinet, said display panel having a front surface that accommodates the posting and exhibition of written materials, printed items and other safety, emergency or regulated devices, equipment and materials.  
       [0006] In a further aspect the invention provides a modular safety station for use on a construction site to contain and display emergency, safety and medical equipment and devices and to facilitate the posting and exhibition of written or printed materials, the safety station comprising; a cabinet having a front and having generally enclosed top, bottom, rear, and side surfaces and a generally open interior capable of receiving and supporting a plurality of safety, emergency and medical devices and equipment; a pair of display panels hingedly attached to said cabinet, said display panels moveable from a first position wherein said display panels are folded against said rear surface of said cabinet, to a second position wherein said display panels extend outwardly from the sides of said cabinet, said display panels having a front surface that accommodates the posting and exhibition of written or printed materials and information; and, a stretcher compartment having a generally open interior for receiving and storing a collapsible stretcher.  
       [0007] In yet a further aspect the invention provides a modular safety station for use on a construction site to contain and display emergency, safety and medical equipment and devices and to facilitate the posting and exhibition of written or printed materials, the modular safety station comprising; a cabinet having a front and having generally enclosed top, bottom, rear and side surfaces, said cabinet having a generally open interior capable of receiving and supporting a plurality of safety, emergency and medical devices and equipment; at least one door, said door having a closed position wherein it encloses said open interior of said cabinet, said door having an open position wherein said door allows access to said open interior of said cabinet; a pair of display panels attached to said cabinet, said display panels moveable from a first position wherein said display panels are received adjacent to said rear surface of said cabinet, to a second position wherein said display panels are extended outwardly from said cabinet, said display panels permitting the posting and exhibition of written or printed materials and information thereon; a stretcher compartment having a generally open interior for receiving and storing a collapsible stretcher; and, a rigid frame, said cabinet, said at least one door, said display panels, and said stretcher compartment carried by said rigid frame, said rigid frame assisting in the supporting of said modular safety station and facilitating in the movement of said modular safety station about the construction site or from one construction site to another.  
       [0008] Further aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken together with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0009] For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings which show the preferred embodiments of the present invention in which:  
     [0010]FIG. 1 is an upper side perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the modular safety station in accordance with the present invention;  
     [0011]FIG. 2 is a plan view of the modular safety station shown in FIG. 1;  
     [0012]FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of the modular safety station shown in FIG. 1 having its display panels in their open or extended configuration;  
     [0013]FIG. 4 is a side view of the modular display station shown in FIG. 1 having its stretcher compartment open and with the stretcher partially extended; and,  
     [0014]FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the modular safety station shown in FIG. 2 having its front doors open and generally noting one form of positioning of safety equipment, emergency devices, and information that may be stored therein or displayed thereon. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
     [0015] The present invention may be embodied in a number of different forms. However, the specification and drawings that follow describe and disclose only some of the specific forms of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention as defined in the claims that follow herein.  
     [0016] In the attached drawings, a modular safety station constructed in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention is noted generally by reference numeral  1 . Safety station  1  is comprised, in general, of a cabinet  2  having at least one display panel  3  attached or secured thereto. In the embodiment shown in the drawings cabinet  2  is of a generally rectangular configuration having a front  4  and enclosed top, bottom, rear and side surfaces  5 ,  6 ,  7 ,  8  and  9  respectively. The top, bottom, rear and side surfaces of cabinet  2  define a generally open interior  10  that is designed and capable of receiving and storing a plurality of safety, emergency and medical devices and equipment, as well as a variety of other materials or objects as desired or necessary. One such combination of objects and devices that may be received and stored in cabinet  2  is shown by way of example in FIG. 5. Here open interior  10  is shown as including a first aid kit  20 , an eyewash centre  21 , various medical or other bulletins  22 , safety manuals  23 , a splint  24 , emergency blankets  25 , and a fire extinguisher  26 . Depending upon the nature of the items to be stored within cabinet  2 , the cabinet may be fitted with one or more fixed or adjustable shelves. In addition, the rear interior surface of the cabinet may be comprised of pegboard or other mechanical fastening system that allow for the securement of devices within the cabinet at particular desired locations.  
     [0017] In accordance with the safety station of the present invention, one or more display panels may be secured to cabinet  2 . The embodiment depicted in the attached drawings shows two panels  3  that are hingedly secured to opposite edges of rear surface  7 . In this manner panels  3  may be folded to a position where they are held adjacent to rear surface  7  to minimize the overall dimensions of safety station  1  during transport and when in storage and not in use. When the safety station is ready to be used, panels  3  may be rotated into an open position (see FIG. 3) where they extend outwardly from cabinet  2 . In this second or open position, the front surfaces  11  of display panels  3  will face outwardly from front  4  of cabinet  2  and will provide an area that can accommodate the posting and exhibition of written materials or printed items and/or other safety, emergency or regulated devices and equipment.  
     [0018] To accommodate this desired purpose, front surfaces  11  of display panels  3  may be comprised of corkboard, a magnetic material, pegboard, or any one of a wide variety of other materials that help to facilitate the posting and exhibition of materials, information and devices. Alternately, front surfaces  11  may contain a number of inserts of cork, magnetic, pegboard or similar materials that allow for securing items to display panels  3  at particular defined locations by means of specific mechanical fastening means. For example, in one embodiment the upper half of the display panels may be comprised of a cork or similar material to allow for the posting of papers through the use of thumbtacks. The bottom half of the display panels could be comprised of pegboard to allow heavier objects or written materials to be mechanically secured to the panels. It will, however, be appreciated that other combinations and configurations of means to secure objects to display panels  3  could be incorporated into safety station  1  while remaining within the board scope of the invention. It will equally be appreciated that while the embodiment described and shown in the drawings indicates the use of two display panels hingedly attached to the rear surface of the safety station, more or less than two panels could be used and the panels could be slidably attached to the cabinet or otherwise secured without the use of hinges.  
     [0019] To facilitate with the transportation of safety station  1 , cabinet  2  and display panels  3  may be mounted upon a rigid frame  12  having a base  13 . Frame  12  and base  13  permit the safety station to be held in an upright configuration upon a floor or the ground at a construction site. Depending upon the particular application of safety station  1 , base  13  may include a series of castors  14  to allow the safety station to be rolled around on a generally flat horizontal surface. In other embodiments castors  14  may be replaced by a series of legs, or may be omitted completely.  
     [0020] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, in one preferred embodiment of the invention modular safety station  1  includes at least one door  15  that is hingedly secured to cabinet  2  and that may be used to enclose open interior  10 . In most instances it is expected that a pair of doors will be utilized and that the doors would be transparent or have transparent inserts within them to allow individuals to readily see and identify the contents within cabinet  2 . Doors  15  serve the primary purpose of helping to maintain the contents of cabinet  2  in place, to protect the contents of the cabinet, and to help keep emergency and medical devices and materials stored within the cabinet dry and clean. To that end, cabinet  2  may also include a seal  16  situated circumferentially about front  4 . When in their closed position, doors  15  contact seal  16  to help further prevent the ingress of dirt, water and debris into the interior of the cabinet.  
     [0021] As is also shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, modular safety station  1  may include a stretcher compartment  17  having a generally open interior capable of receiving and storing a collapsible stretcher  18 . While stretcher cabinet  17  may be positioned at a variety of locations about safety station  1 , in the embodiment shown in the attached drawings the stretcher cabinet is fixed to bottom surface  6  of cabinet  2 , and is also mounted upon or carried by rigid frame  12 . The stretcher cabinet preferably includes a hinged door  19  to enclose its open interior and to keep the collapsable stretcher safe, secure, and clean until such time as it may be needed.  
     [0022] In addition to standard safety and emergency equipment and devices, modular safety station  1  may also be fitted with a sounding device that may be used or activated to call for help in an emergency. In its simplest form, the sounding device may be nothing more than a bell or whistle fixed to the safety station by means of a lanyard or cable.  
     [0023] Alternately, safety station  1  may include an emergency siren  27  activated by depressing a handle or button. The siren could be operated through the release of pressurized gas from a storage bottle mounted within the safety station or it could be an electrically operated siren powered by an internal battery or exterior source of electricity. Further, modular safety station  1  may include a cellular or hard wired telephone  28  that presents a means for individuals on a construction site to call for help in situations where telephone access may otherwise not be readily available.  
     [0024] Safety station  1  and its component parts may be formed from a wide variety of different materials, including metal, plastic and/or wood. Depending upon the environment within which the safety station is to be utilized, certain construction materials may be preferable over others. For example, where the safety station is to be used outside and where it may be subjected to the weather, it could be formed from molded plastic or a similar synthetic material making it rustproof, impact resistant, and waterproof. Under such circumstance, the front surfaces  11  of display panels  3  may include a glass or transparent plastic cover to prevent paper or printed materials exhibited thereon from becoming wet. Regardless of the material from which safety station  1  is constructed (with the exception of doors  15  and any transparent covers that may be placed over the front surfaces of display panel  3 ) the remainder of safety station  1  is preferably painted in a distinctive bright colour such that it can be easily and quickly identified by workers on a construction site in the case of an actual emergency.  
     [0025] It will be appreciated from a thorough understanding of the above invention that there is provided a modular cabinet or safety station that may be used to store and contain all of the necessary, required and desirable medical and emergency equipment for a particular construction site, and that may also be used to readily and openly display all of the necessary and required permits, reports, emergency contact information, safety protocols, medical information, etc. The display panels of the modular safety station may be retracted from their extended position to facilitate the transportation and storage of the device when it is no longer required. Presenting a single mobile unit capable of transporting and storing all of the necessary equipment and information for a construction site is of benefit to both management and workers alike. Through the utilization of safety station  1 , management is ensured of complying with all of the local governmental regulatory requirements in an efficient, cost effective and simplified manner. Both management and the workers will also benefit from having a readily available and easily identifiable source that houses all necessary emergency and safety equipment and written notices, contact information, protocols, etc. Having such materials readily available in one common location allows for the potential to treat injured workers more quickly in the event of an emergency.  
     [0026] It is to be understood that what has been described are the preferred embodiments of the invention and that it may be possible to make variations to these embodiments while staying within the broad scope of the invention. Some of these variations have been discussed while others will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.