Tips for Indoor Emergency Shower and Eyewash Station Placement
- By Dan Carver
- May 22, 2019
- 0 Comments
The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) keeps a record of incidents and lessons learned. Workplace incidents and injuries involving chemical splashes and burns cause severe reactions and could lead to permanent damage. Reasons for such accidents include carrying chemicals in unsafe containers, broken equipment or incorrect procedures. Washing the affected area immediately after a chemical splash occurs is critical.
Some victims are hesitant to unclothe in a public area, but this may cause further injury. Even if they rinse in a shower, chemical residue trapped in their clothing could continue to burn the skin.
Chemical splashes to the eyes may cause partial or complete blindness, which makes getting to an emergency eye wash or shower difficult. Location of emergency equipment is key to worker safety. So where should you place indoor emergency shower and eyewash equipment? Here are some questions to ask before you decide:
- What are the ANSI recommendations?
The ANSI/ISEA Z358.1 standard provides guidelines for the location and performance of emergency eye wash and shower station. It states the equipment must be on the same level and within 10 seconds of an identified chemical hazard – approximately 55 feet. The path to reach it must be free of any obstacles or equipment. - What are nearby risks and hazards?
Perform a risk assessment. Identify hazards such as chemicals, lubricants, and airborne substances where the SDS Section 4 requires specific equipment for skin and eyes. Discuss potential problems with your team. A common-sense approach will ensure that immediate and easy access is available for victims of chemical splashes to decontaminate. A hazard with a higher risk for injury may require safety equipment to be closer to it than the ANSI standard specifies. But, be sure not to locate it so close to a hazard that it becomes contaminated when in operation. - Are the emergency showers and eye washes highly visible?
Keep the area around the hazard and leading to safety showers well lit. Emergency shower and eyewash stations must be clearly marked with signage that is visible from any direction that a worker may approach the equipment. - Are there enough safety shower stations throughout the workplace?
A lab or indoor work area is often congested with many workers performing different tasks. A single incident in the room could affect other personnel not directly involved. Keep in mind the potential number of workers affected by an incident when planning how many emergency eye wash and showers are necessary in an indoor area.
Justrite Supplies Hughes Safety Showers and Eyewash Stations for Indoor Use
Justrite offers a wide range of Hughes emergency eye wash and shower stations that comply with ANSI standards and OSHA requirements. We offer different models for different applications.
Standard unheated safety showers come with floor mounted, ceiling mounted or wall mounted fittings. In indoor, climate-controlled environments, the water supply is usually already in the tepid range needed. But, you are located in a colder climate without environmental control, an additional expense may be required to ensure the water temperature stays within the 60° F to 100° F (16° to 38° C) tepid range.
Combination shower and eyewash units come in different models. Open ABS and stainless-steel bowls have dust covers to keep the nozzles clean. Some have an integrated cover to protect the nozzles. Activate with a push plate or foot treadle to remove the covers via a gentle flow of aerated water.
The lid on closed ABS bowls covers the eye/face wash station completely to protect it from dust and debris. Open the lid or push down the foot treadle to activate the water flow.
As previously mentioned, many people are uncomfortable taking off their clothes in a public safety shower. Hughes’ cubicle showers provide more privacy. These contain standard combination emergency shower and eyewash units along with multiple spray nozzles inside the cubicle to thoroughly drench the victim. An integral drain sump and strip screens reduce the risk of contaminated water outside the cubicle area.
Contact Justrite for Emergency Safety Showers and Eye Wash Equipment
Workplace safety is fundamentally about the people you strive to protect, and the environments in which they live and work. In an emergency, safety showers and eye washes can be the difference between life and death. Hughes Safety Showers is a leader in the emergency shower industry and part of the Justrite Safety Group. Find out more about our line of emergency safety equipment here.
Need a custom safety shower solution? We can help you with that. Contact us today.
References
- International Safety Equipment Association. Emergency Showers and Eye Wash Stations: Where, When and How?
- EHS Today. A Logical Approach to Emergency Shower and Eyewash Choices
- EHS Today. Protecting Those Peepers: A Guide to Eye Wash and Emergency Shower Stations
- American Industrial Hygiene Association. Lab Safety Chemical Exposures Incidents