Safety Showers
Have you ever gotten something in your eye, like a spec of wood dust or something similar? What’s the recommended treatment? You need to flush it out with lots of clean, flowing water. And what about splashing a chemical onto your skin, what do you do then? You want to wash it off, the quicker the better, especially if it is burning.
But imagine this scenario – you are at work when some acid splashes on your arm. You look around for the nearest safety shower to wash off the acid, but the safety shower looks awful. It is covered with cobwebs, the handle appears to be disconnected, and you doubt if it is in working condition. Ugh!
In 29 CFR, Part 1910.151(c) , OSHA mandates that ”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.”
While not a regulatory requirement, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard Z358.1-2014 might be used as a best practice and a guide for the installation and maintenance of safety showers. Here’s a link to an ANSI blog about the standard. There is also a more current version from 2023 that OSHA may start using as best practice. Here are a few highlights from the 2014 ANSI standard:
Installation: Safety showers and eye wash stations should be installed within a 10 second walk of a hazard that would require the use of the showers and stations. This might include things link acid-battery changing stations, laboratories, or other places where corrosive materials are in use.
Water Requirements: Tepid water should be supplied to and through the safety shower and/or eye wash station system. Tepid is described as between 60 o and 100 o F. Also, safety showers must be able to supply water at the rate of 20 gallons per minute for 15 minutes.
A Protected System: The system that supplies water to the shower and/or eye wash station must be able to withstand water for long periods of time without corrosion. If you think about it, sometimes these safety showers and eye wash stations are outdoors, so it must be protected from freezing.
Activation and Inspection: The ANSI standard recommends that safety showers and eye wash stations be activated weekly to ensure the flow of water. Inspections should be done on a regular basis, no less than annually. SCM recommends keeping in mind that some eye wash stations are equipped with caps to keep the point where water flows towards the eyes clean. These caps should be in place to maintain a clean water flow. Also, make sure that water drains from the system properly during the inspection.
Remember, manufacturers’ have recommendations for their products. Some will offer the ANSI guidelines for you to use in maintaining their product. Check with your manufacturer if you don’t have a copy of their guidelines for the product.
SCM regularly recommends to our clients that they have their employees activate the safety shower/eye station frequently in addition to the inspection. Not only does this help to keep clean water flowing, but it imprints on the employees the location of the safety showers and eye wash stations.
Weekly Safety Challenge:
Take a walk around your worksite. Where is the nearest safety shower or eye wash station? When was it last activated? Go ahead, test it a little…
