Page 34 - Occupational Health & Safety, October 2017

EMERGENCY SHOWERS & EYEWASH
Testing Your Emergency Showers and Eyewashes Isn’t Just an Annual Thing
With OSHA fine increases of 80 percent taking effect in August 2016, violations for inappropriate or inadequate eyewash and shower equipment have resulted in penalties above $100,000.
BY SAMANTHA HOCH
30 Occupational Health & Safety | OCTOBER 2017
www.ohsonline.com
The standard guiding the placement, func- tionality, and maintenance requirements for emergency showers and eyewashes is ANSI/ ISEA Z358.1, which was last revised in 2014. In its current form, it is the clearest and most useful tool for protecting workers from eye, face, and body injuries resulting from caustic and corrosive materi- als introduced by workplace incidents such as spills, splashes, and blown particulates.
The standard requires stringent testing to be con- ducted on a regular basis to ensure properly func- tioning equipment is being provided at all times if an incident were to occur. We should all understand that compliance is not a once-a-year or once-a-month responsibility. Compliance is an all-day, every-day re- quirement. Accordingly, emergency showers and eye- washes are required by the ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2014 Standard to be activated weekly, with a more thor- ough evaluation on an annual basis. This requirement is established in Sections including 4.6.2, 4.6.5.
In practice, emergency response equipment such as eyewashes and showers sometimes falls to the wayside when it comes to maintenance, especially when prioritized against emergency preparedness equipment such as eye protection and fall protec- tion. It’s pertinent to know that OSHA does not prioritize or take a backseat when it comes to pro- viding adequate and properly functioning equip- ment, regardless whether the equipment aids in pre- or post-incident situations. With OSHA fine increases of 80 percent taking effect in August 2016, violations for inappropriate or inadequate eyewash and shower equipment have resulted in penalties of more than $100,000.
ANSI Weekly Minimum
Performance Requirements
The standard itself has three minimum requirements for weekly inspections:
1. Emergency equipment shall be activated weekly. (Each piece of equipment is required to be activated.) 2. Activation shall ensure flow of water to the head(s) of the device. (This would be both the eyewash
or eye/face wash head, as well as the showerhead.)
3. Duration of the activation shall be sufficient
HAWS®