Find all of your laboratory and workplace safety supplies at Safety Emporium!

Explosive

Glossary Index

Fetotoxin

MSDS Topics	Free Sites	FAQ's	Regulations	Glossary	Software	Suppliers
	Books	Forum	Poll	Fun stuff	Quiz	Store
Understand your MSDS with the MS-Demystifier				Search ALL our MSDS info

Definition

Get your PPE such as NIOSH-approved N99 masks and face shields from Safety Emporium.

Emergency eye wash equipment is used to drench or flush the eyes with water when dust, irritants, or chemicals enter the eye. The term is sometimes written as one word, eyewash. These devices are sometimes referred to as "eye wash fountains".

Per 29 CFR, OSHA has numerous standards that require eye and face protection, including personal protective equipment such as safety glasses/goggles in addition to emergency eye wash facilities.

Additional Info

General Considerations

Emergency equipment such as eye washes is the final line of defense against eye hazards. The preferred sequence for reducing risk of injury in the workplace is:

1. Elimination. Physically remove the hazard from the workplace.
2. Substitution. One can select chemicals that are less hazardous or change a production process to avoid generating a harmful material. Substitution protects everyone by removing a potential hazard.
3. Engineering controls. For example, risk can be further reduced by using fume hoods to contain harmful vapors or using safety shields to block bits of metal or laser light from escaping. Engineering controls protect all workers, not just the user.
4. Administrative controls. These involve work procedures such as written safety policies, rules, supervision, schedules, and training with the goal of reducing the duration, frequency, and severity of exposure to hazardous chemicals or situations.
5. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as safety glasses/goggles or respirators. PPE protects only the wearer.
6. First Aid and Emergency Equipment. Eye washes, fire extinguishers, and first aid kits are used only after an accident or injury has occurred and should never be relied upon as a primary means of protection!

Note that this approach is a multi-layer defense. By addressing each of these areas, one can minimize risks at many levels and hopefully never reach the last line of defense, emergency equipment.

OSHA and ANSI Requirements

29 CFR 1910.151 has the broadest requirement for eye washes and related equipment. At 1910.151(c) the Standard says:

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.

There is no specific discussion of what a "suitable facility" is in this, or any other, OSHA standard that discusses eye washes. While this permits the employer to select the equipment which is best suited to their particular workplace, it does not take account into best practices as found in ANSI Z358.1 (see below).

Therefore, OSHA inspectors (and most insurance carriers) look to the ANSI standard, Z358.1, "Emergency Eyewash and Shower Equipment" in determining the adequacy of eye wash facilities. Z358.1 addresses key areas in the design, deployment and use of emergency eye wash and safety shower equipment:

Safety Emporium carries all sorts of eye wash accessories such as eye wash signs, inspection tags, floor markers and replacement parts.

1. Location. If strong acids or caustics are used, the unit should be immediately adjacent to the hazard. In all other cases, the equipment should be within 10 seconds walking time on the same level and with as few obstructions as possible.
2. Water Supply. The water supply must be capable of supplying a large and continuous supply of potable water. At the very least, a unit should supply water for 15 minutes. For this reason, simple wash bottles, while they can be used for personal comfort, do not meet this requirement of the ANSI standard. ANSI requires the flushing fluid to be "Potable water, preserved water, preserved buffered saline solution or other medically acceptable solution manufactured and labeled in accordance with applicable government regulations."
3. Water Temperature. This variable is frequently ignored, but the water delivered by the system should be "tepid" - between 60 and 100 degrees F (16 to 38 degrees C), subject to medical considerations. Special tempering units (thermostatic mixing valves) that blend hot and cold water supply are available for those regions in which the winter water temperature drops below 60 degree F. Note that faucet-mounted eye washes fail the ANSI standard because the user might accidentally turn on the hot water supply and cause additonal eye damage.
4. Water Disposal - There are no provisions for water disposal, but the water has to go somewhere. Floor drains or dedicated waste connections are the two most popular choices, but are subject to environmental regulation if the water contains hazardous materials.
5. Accessibility - Under the Americans With Disability Act (ADA), emergency equipment must be usable by physcially handicapped persons. Maximum/minimum heights and special actuators may be involved in meeting these requirements. Also note that faucet-mounted eye washes do not meet ANSI requirements as they require two motions to activate - turning on the water, then activating the eye wash, actions that are hard to do when you can't see!
6. Signage - All emergency unit locations should be well-lit and marked with highly visible signs. Per ANSI Z535.1 through Z535.5, signage should follow a particular format and have a white background with green lettering.
7. Alarm Systems - An audible and/or visual alarm should be used in remote locations or locations where workers might be operating alone.
8. Training and upkeep - The employees must be trained in the location and operation of the units. The unit should be activated weekly to ensure proper operation and to flush sediment, debris or bacteria from the lines. An annual inspection is required.

More detailed information about these ANSI requirements, including the required features and dimensions of eye wash and shower devices, can be found in Guardian Equipment's pamphlet, ANSI Z358.1-2014 Compliance Checklist.

Common Types of Eye Washes

Eye washes come in many different types/styles:

SDS Relevance

This safety wall poster graphically illustrates the shortcomings of most safety eyewear.

Just about every Safety Data Sheet in existence includes instructions to flush the eyes with water for "at least" 15 minutes if the material gets into one's eyes. The origin of the "15 minute rule" is not clear. In a few rare cases, such as a splash involving hydrofluoric acid, it may unacceptably delay first aid treatment, and in cases involving bases, a longer time may be required (bases are very difficult to rinse out of eye tissues). And some experts suggest even 15 minutes is not sufficient in most cases. In any event, should you get (or suspect you got) a chemical in your eye, be sure to flush it with water for the time recommended on the SDS or label and contact your doctor or emergency room to see if further treatment is needed.

If you were wearing contact lenses at the time of the incident, proper use of your eye wash should have washed them away, but have someone examine your eyes to verify that they were removed. NIOSH has a a "Current Intelligence Bulletin 59" titled "Contact Lens Use In a Chemical Environment" that addresses best practices for this formerly controversial topic.

When flushing the eyes, do your best to keep them open and be sure to occasionally lift the upper and lower eyelids to ensure complete flushing.

As noted above, the use of a tempering unit (thermostatic mixing valve) to deliver tepid water is generally recommended. Imagine trying to flush your eyes with the water that comes out of the cold water faucet in wintertime. Not only is it unbearable, the coldness of the water may cause the victim to end the flushing before it has been fully effective!

Finally, when selecting eye protection, be sure to wear the kind that is most appropriate. Chemical splash goggles offer the best protection against impact and liquid splashes as graphically illustrated on the poster shown on the left.

Further Reading

This sign as well as other eyewash and safety shower signs, tags, and more are available at Safety Emporium.

• Clarification regarding the use of eyewash stations, an official OSHA interpretation which defers to the ANSI standard.
• Eyewash equipment is not an acceptable substitute for protective eyewear, an official OSHA interpretation of 29 CFR 1910.151(c).
• Standard requirements for eyewash and shower equipment, personnel and other protective equipment and air circulation fans, used in an automotive battery charging area, a multi-OSHA standard Interpretation.
• Requirements for emergency eyewash stations in retail autoparts stores another OSHA interpretation letter.
• Clarification of PIT requirements covering: fall protection and safety platforms, seatbelts, LP-gas storage, smoking, and eye wash stations, another official OSHA interpretation.
• Podcast From A Nobel Prize Laureate on The Loss of Sight In One Eye Due To A Cryogen Accident, one that could have been avoided with PPE.
• Chemical and Engineering News article on recommendations and how to choose splash goggles.
• Lye Burns a firsthand account from someone who had read the SDS beforehand.
• Chemical Eye Burns at eMedicine Health.
• The Ocular Surface Chemical Burns, from J. Ophthalmol. 2014; 2014: 196827.
• Ocular Burns at the Merck Manual Professional version.

See also: conjunctivitis, iridocyclitis, nystagmus, sclera.

Additional definitions from Google and OneLook.

Entry last updated: Sunday, July 24, 2022. This page is copyright 2000-2024 by ILPI. Unauthorized duplication or posting on other web sites is expressly prohibited. Send suggestions, comments, and new entry desires (include the URL if applicable) to us by email.

Disclaimer: The information contained herein is believed to be true and accurate, however ILPI makes no guarantees concerning the veracity of any statement. Use of any information on this page is at the reader's own risk. ILPI strongly encourages the reader to consult the appropriate local, state and federal agencies concerning the matters discussed herein.