Page 42 - Occupational Health & Safety, May 2019

EMERGENCY SHOWERS & EYEWASH
BestPracticesWhenProcuring,Placing,andMaintaining Your EmergeTncy Eye/Face Wash and Showers
BY ERIC CLARK
38 Occupational Health & Safety | MAY 2019
www.ohsonline.com
he International Safety Equipment Associa- For example, in a chemical plant where liquids form tion produces the American National Stan- the general risk, an eye/face wash would be the most dard for Emergency Eyewash and Shower appropriate choice. With recent product advance- Equipment, ANSI Z358.1, to establish uni- ments such as flow controls and designs inspired by
form minimum performance and use requirements. The standard is a comprehensive outline that serves as a guideline for companies and safety professionals to provide safe working environments. By applying a few additional best practices, you can exceed the min- imum response requirements and ensure that each site implements and manages appropriate emergency response systems, minimizing related employee inju- ries and preventing a crisis situation from going from bad to worse.
While the hope may be that you’ll never have to use your emergency equipment, you should maintain the mindset that an emergency could happen at any moment. When a victim needs an eyewash or shower, you must have confidence that your eye or facewash is working properly to provide the care that is needed.
A safety industry survey1 asked professionals who make product recommendations and/or buying deci- sions what they considered the most important con- siderations when selecting an eyewash and/or eye- wash/shower combination unit. Not surprisingly, the top two answers were ANSI compliance and victim comfort. Victim comfort is an important consider- ation that should be factored into creating a complete safety response environment for your employees. By putting yourself in a victim’s shoes when making a purchasing decision, you are most likely to purchase equipment that not only meets the ANSI standard, but provides the most critical care during an emergency.
Beyond the purchase of emergency eyewash and/ or eyewash/shower combination units, it is critical to ensure that the equipment is functioning properly and highly visible in case of an emergency. Based on a sample of independent third-party testing and review, it was found that while all sites believed they were in compliance, 75 percent of equipment tested was non- compliant for both minor and significant violations.2
Best Practices
Below are five best practices when purchasing, plac- ing, and maintaining your emergency equipment.
1. Ensure proper product specification and place- ment: When it comes to emergency response equip- ment, there is no shortage of available products. With so many choices—oftentimes differentiated only by subtle differences—it’s important to critically assess specific risks to determine the most suitable product.
eye irrigation protocols used by the medical com- munity, choosing the most suitable equipment also means selecting from the most current generation of products. Many have been designed to meet changes imposed in the Z358.1 standard revision (2009).
Location should be the next critical consideration. Per ANSI, emergency equipment must be located on the same level and within an unobstructed, 10-second walk from a potential hazard (roughly 55 feet). The number of showers/eyewashes available and their in- dividual locations must be evaluated when determin- ing installation locations.
2. Ensure proper visibility: High visibility of safety equipment can be achieved with clear signage, proper lighting, and the use of the color known as “safety green.” This color is used industrially to designate both the concept of safety and the physical locations of first aid and emergency response equipment, in- cluding drench showers and eyewashes.
ANSI Z535.1 takes this one step further by provid- ing a standard for color schemes, sizing, meaning, and application for various workplace hazards.
3. Provide tepid water: Excessively hot or cold water temperatures in safety showers and eyewashes can exacerbate the very injuries the safety equipment is designed to reduce. In the 2009 revision of ANSI Z358.1, the standard outlines suitable water tempera- tures as tepid, defined as a range between 60o and 100o F (15.5o to 37.77o C). It also specifies a full 15-minute drench or irrigation cycle, a length of time that must be considered with the victim in mind. An uncom- fortable victim will be less inclined to abide by the flush requirements, which could worsen an injury.
4. Perform continuous maintenance and testing: One of the implied responsibilities of specifying and installing emergency equipment is ensuring a maintenance process designed to keep safety show- ers, eyewashes, and associated system components functioning optimally. A common question relates to the appropriate length of time for unit testing. While a quick activation to test the unit might seem sufficient, it is more valuable to test each unit for the required 15-minute flush every time.
The intention behind routine testing is to guaran- tee that each piece of equipment has the proper flush- ing fluid supply and flow, to clear the line of any sedi- ment buildup, and to minimize contamination related