The selection of emergency eyewash and shower equipment is often a complicated process. In addition to addressing design and engineering issues, specifiers must be aware of regulatory requirements and compliance standards.

A common reference point when selecting emergency equipment is ANSI/ISEA Z358.1, “Emergency Eyewash and Shower Equipment.” This standard is a widely accepted guideline for the proper selection, installation, operation and
maintenance of emergency equipment.

Eyewash stations are most appropriate in settings where eye tissue impairment is more likely than full-body contact with, or exposure to, hazards. Both main types of emergency eyewash units, depending on make and model, can conform to OSHA and ANSI standards. You may install either type in almost any work environment, but both types must be able to maintain a flow of three gallons per minute for 15 minutes.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s standard 29 CFR 1910.151(c) requires that in a work area where a person’s eyes or body might be exposed to harmful corrosive materials, employers must provide quick-drenching facilities for immediate emergency use. This includes at HIV and hepatitis B (HBV) research laboratories and production facilities, or any workplace where an employee’s eyes could be splashed with solutions containing 0.1 percent or greater formaldehyde.

Types of Emergency Wash Equipment Eyewash Stations

• Plumbed stations – permanently connected to, and designed to receive water from, a remote, potable (drinkable) water source, usually a building’s plumbing supply. Plumbed stations may be mounted to a fixed object, such as a wall or countertop, or to a pipe stand referred to as a pedestal mount. Plumbed eyewashes may include a bowl that collects and directs fluid away from the eyewash user after use. To ensure that water flows freely and cleanly from a plumbed station, test the station once a week. Protect eyewash nozzles from airborne contaminants with an integrated cover.

1. Emergency Safety Shower and Eye Wash Station & Vertical Type Eye Wash Machine

WJH0358A Stainless Steel Emergency Shower & Eye Wash

• Faucet-integrated or faucet-mounted eyewashes – found in many laboratories, clinics, and schools as attachments to a sink’s faucet. This type of eyewash must comply with the ANSI/ISEA standard of turning on within one second of activation.

• Eye and face wash unit – plumbed or self-contained device designed to flush the operator’s eyes and face simultaneously by delivering a minimum of 3.0 gallons per minute (gpm) stream of fluid. Some fixtures divide a central stream of flushing fluid into several smaller streams to provide a gentler rinse; others use an aerated system to disperse the flushing fluid across the face to rinse off contaminants.

•Hand-held drench hoses – like showers, these supplemental devices are connected to a water supply and are used to irrigate the operator’s eyes, face, and body. To prevent contaminated water from entering a hose from a different source, employers should install a drench hose with a backflow preventer that meets local codes and ordinances.

• Portable stations – features a self-contained tank of water or other fluid. Portable stations may be more practical in many cases, such as safety and rescue vehicles, or where no reliable plumbing or water source is available. They can also be permanently fixed in place. Types of portable eyewash stations include:

–Gravity-fed – contain their own water or flush fluid, and must be refilled after every use. Water is pumped from a storage tank through drench nozzles and onto the eyes and face. You can install the units on walls, or temporarily on tabletops or other level surfaces. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for checking fluid levels and cleanliness in the tank.

–Pressurized tank connected to drench nozzles or hose – extra-portable and useful for immediate operation in most environments. They may not produce a strong or long enough shower to meet ANSI standards, so don’t use them as your primary eyewash station.

–Personal eyewash units – intended to supplement rather than replace ANSI-ISEA standard-compliant eyewashes; especially helpful as a first response before a person reaches the primary washing device, when a person is on the way to a medical facility, or in outdoor worksites with no primary equipment.

While OSHA specifies where and when to use the equipment, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/International Safety Equipment Association explains how to use it. In its letters of interpretation and inspection manuals, OSHA refers to ANSI/ISEA’s Z358.1 standard as a way for employers to comply with health and safety requirements.

Emergency wash fixtures are not substitutes for safety eyewear, face shields, protective clothing, or other personal protective gear. Eyewash stations and emergency showers are meant to ease eye injuries when control methods do not prevent employees’ exposure to a chemical, physical, or biological agent in the workplace.