Safety Showers, Eyewashes, and Drench Hoses

Requirements

OSHA requires “Where the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials, suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body shall be provided within the work area for immediate emergency use.” 29CFR1910 Subpart K, Medical and First Aid

ANSI Z358.1 Emergency Eyewash and Shower Equipment establishes minimum performance standards for “…the emergency treatment of the eyes or body of a person who has been exposed to injurious materials.”

At Florida State University, we endeavor to comply with all laws, consensus standards, and industry best practices to the greatest practical extent.

General Specifications for Plumbed Emergency Flushing Devices

To Provide a Reliable Water Source, Suitable for Emergency Flushing the Eyes or Body…

Use clean, potable water to deliver a safe and effective flushing spray at a tepid temperature (60°F - 100°F).
Have a quick activating valve, that opens in one second or less and remains open until manually shut. (This allows “hands-free” operation by the user and permits them to hold both their eyes open while flushing.)
Allow quick access to the device (no more than 10 seconds or 55 feet maximum distance) without interference in the travel path.
Provide enough water for at least 15 minutes of continual operation at or above minimum specified flow-rates for each type of device.
Use readily visible, obvious, and standardized postings to identify these devices.
Ensure they are located in well-lit areas.
Ensure components are not corroded, leaking, or otherwise damaged.
If isolation valves are installed in supply lines, provisions must be in-place to prevent unauthorized shut-off.
Electrical equipment must be kept out of the potential spray area. GFCI protected circuits should not be relied upon to protect personnel when these devices are activated.

Device Specifications

These devices are often paired as a safety station, with collocated shower/eyewash or eyewash/drench hose combinations being most typical.

The specifications for each individual component must be met for the entire combined safety station unit to be considered ANSI compliant.

Safety showers shall be connected to a reliable potable water source capable of providing at least 20 gallons per minute.
The spray head must be 82-96 inches in height (height being measured above the floor where a user would stand).
The spray pattern must cover an area of at least 20 inches in diameter at a height of 60 inches, the center of the pattern shall be at least 16 inches from any obstruction.
The actuator handle can be no higher than 69 inches (maximums of 48 inches front, or 54 inches side reach, heights may also apply for ADA compliant devices).
If an enclosure is installed around the shower, it must be at least 34 inches diameter.

Safety Showers

This is a typical combination safety shower and eyewash station.

Each of the devices has its own actuators and is independently operated.

ADA compliant devices will have a longer shower activation handle, the eyewash basin will protrude further from the wall, and there will be knee space directly below the basin to allow wheelchair access.

Safety Showers

This unit has a thermal mixing valve installed to ensure water is delivered at a tepid temperature.

All selectors and water supply valves need to be distantly located and/or locked to prevent tampering!

Temperature control is not usually required indoors in our Florida climate, neither is freeze protection. EH&S should be consulted if this is a concern for your worksite.

Safety Showers

When they are not directly attached to the device, actuators must be carefully located so they can be operated by a person under the flushing stream.

These devices will make a mess when they are activated, whether they have a drain in the floor beneath them or not. For emergencies this should not be a concern. Use care during non-emergency testing and flushing.

Annual Testing is being performed on this safety shower.

A Practical Test...for Safety Showers

Before you begin any work where a shower may be needed:

Imagine you just had a corrosive chemical sprayed over the entire front of your body, your lab coat and clothes are saturated, you’re keeping your eyes closed due to the chemicals running down your head, your skin is burning, and you need to flush your body immediately...

Can you quickly and easily access the shower without running into furniture or equipment, tripping, or otherwise injuring yourself?
Can you find and pull the handle to activate the shower while standing under the spray head?
After you have activated the shower, can you use your hands to remove contaminated clothing or help wipe the chemicals off your body?
Is there equipment in the spray area that may shock, even if it is protected by a GFCI, or get damaged that can or should be relocated?

If not, the installation is inadequate. Contact EH&S for assistance!

Eyewash Specifications

Provide potable water for flushing at a total rate of at least 0.4 gallons per minute (gpm) for eyewashes and 3.0 gpm for eye/face wash or eyewash/drench hose combination units.

Nozzles must be covered to protect them from environmental contaminants. These covers should be automatically removed by activation of the device.

Spray patterns should adequately cover both eyes. They should be centered between the nozzles, about 3.25 inches apart at a height no more than 1.5 inches below the spray pattern peak.

The nozzles must be facing the use area, located 33 to 45 inches above the floor, and be at least 6 inches from any obstruction.

There must be sufficient (elbow) room for users to hold their eyes open during flushing.

Eyewashes

This is a standard 2-nozzle eyewash unit.

Whenever practical, they should be flushed at least weekly by personnel working in the area for which they are intended to provide coverage.

Eyewashes

This 4-nozzle device is more typical of an eyewash designed to be ADA compliant.

These are designed to perform the same as the 2-nozzle models with the added benefit of face washing.

Because the allowable difference between the minimum knee space height required below the bowl and the maximum nozzle height at the top of the bowl is fairly narrow, four squatter nozzles are sometimes used to fit within these dimensions and still meet the minimum flow rate requirements.

Eyewashes

These are eyewash/drench hose combination units.

ANSI compliance is met only when these are aligned facing potential users, located properly, and installed in such a manner that gravity can drop the handle latch, holding the squeeze handle open to allow “hands-free” operation after activation.

Both devices shown here would have problems meeting some of the ANSI criteria. Can you guess what those issues might be?

Eyewashes

This is one type of an old style, non-ANSI compliant device, that you may still encounter and can still be purchased.

There is no good reason to still have this style at FSU. They should never be allowed as a substitute for an ANSI compliant device in any location where eyewashes are actually needed. If you have these, EH&S needs to be consulted and can assist with any required upgrades.

A Practical Test...for Eyewashes

Before you begin any work where an eyewash may be needed:

Imagine you just had a corrosive chemical sprayed into your eyes, you are having difficulty seeing, are in severe pain, and need to flush your eyes immediately...

Can you quickly and easily access the eyewash, without banging your head, poking your eyes, or otherwise injuring yourself?
Can you easily place your eyes over the nozzles while standing in front of the device?
Would you feel comfortable using the eyewash? Is it clean and well maintained?
After you have activated it, can you use both your hands to hold your eyelids open while flushing them with the eyewash?

If not, the installation is inadequate. Contact EH&S for assistance!

Drench Hose Specifications

These are considered to be supplemental devices and need only be functional.

Minimum flow rates are not specified.

They are never to be used in lieu of an ANSI compliant shower or eyewash for the purposes of safety or personal protection.

Drench Hoses

These will always have signs identifying their purpose.

Pre-rinse Units

Although very similar in appearance, these are not Drench Hoses! They are industrial faucets used for cleaning inanimate objects.

They provide a hard spray that may be very damaging to living tissues.

Operation and Care

Be Prepared

Be Aware

Be Responsible

Common Options and Ancillary Equipment

Apparatus color schemes

Units are commonly wrapped or painted in bright green, yellow, or orange but they may also be left as plain galvanized or stainless steel.

Signage

Manufacturers provide their own versions of signs with installation kits. These often contain marketing information, are not standardized, and should not be used. Contact EH&S to obtain more appropriate and durable signage that will be more consistently recognized across our facilities.

Portable tanks and bottles

These should never be used in lieu of a plumbed device. Only use them for temporary solutions in areas where sufficient potable water is unavailable. Ensure the flushing solution is fresh before beginning any work where they may be required.

Floor drains

Drains are not always installed and are not required. They can be helpful for testing devices or during clean-up after emergency activations. If installed they need to have self-priming traps to maintain seals and prevent sewer gas from entering occupied spaces.

Add-Ons and Accessories

Many items available from manufacturers, such as those listed below, add unnecessary complexity and/or result in decreased device reliability. Please consult with EH&S if you feel any of these options would be helpful for your facility.

Thermostatic mixing valves
Freeze protection
Flow alarms (audible, visual, or remote reporting circuits)
Foot pedal actuators for eyewash basins
Face washing rings
Eyewash bowl covers
Shower privacy enclosures

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