Page 36 - OHS, September 2020

EMERGENCY EYEWASH & SHOWERS
Optimizing Emergency Safety Equipment after COVID-19 Lockdowns
Now that many facilities are reopening, it is imperative to ensure that emergency safety equipment is compliant, in safe working order and in correct placement relative to worksite hazards.
BY RYAN PFUND
While workplaces depend on occupational hygiene and safety for their livelihood and success, the coronavirus outbreak has underscored those basic and critical needs in unprecedented fashion.
Now that many facilities are reopening after being closed for an extended period of time, it is imperative to ensure that emergency safety equipment is in safe and proper working order, flushed of microbial hazards and in correct placement relative to worksite hazards.
As the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said: “The temporary shutdown or reduced operation of a building and reductions in normal water use can create hazards for returning occupants.”1 Mold2 and Legionella3 are two examples of microbial hazards that may pose a health risk after a period of building inactivity. For mold, a prolonged period may be days, weeks or months depending on building-specific factors, season and weather variables. For Legionella, a prolonged period may be weeks or months depending on plumbing- specific factors, disinfectant residuals, water heater temperature set points, water usage patterns and preexisting Legionella colonization. Therefore, clearing building water systems and devices is vitally important.
Moreover, many workspaces have been or are currently being reconfigured to allow for at least six feet of social distancing between workers. These changes may shift the required placement of emergency eyewashes and showers throughout worksites. Keep in mind that ANSI/ISEA Z358.1– 2014 American National Standard for Emergency Eyewash and Shower Equipment states that fixtures must be located within 10 seconds or 55 feet (17 meters) from a potential hazard.4
Based on these new environmental variables— in addition to the ANSI/ISEA Z358.1 standard for weekly testing—it is recommended that facilities conduct a thorough walk-through of the work site upon reopening. Here are some proactive ways to restore and optimize emergency showers and eyewashes:
Inspect, Test and Flush
Eye Washes and Showers
Emergency safety showers and eye wash equipment should be inspected, activated, tested and verified weekly to ensure immediate, reliable and proper
usage. Weekly safety equipment tests are also required by the ANSI/ISEA Z358.1 standard (with a more in- depth evaluation to be conducted annually).
Every week facility managers should check that plumbed emergency equipment: is placed in accordance with the ANSI/ISEA standard, works properly with no missing or broken parts, has lines flushed to clear debris and stagnant water, is protected against freezing and uses tepid fluid between 60 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 16 and 38 degrees Celsius.
Weekly activation ensures that nothing is blocking the flow of the flushing fluid and eliminates any chance of contamination from stagnant water. It is important that all heads of the device are activated, including the eyewash or eye/face wash head, as well as the showerhead. Take time to flush lines long enough to clear the line of sediment and debris. Self-contained units should also be visually inspected weekly. Inspection tags are often included with fixtures to document testing and to satisfy a safety audit.
There are some materials safety personnel can use to assist in weekly testing, such as a heavy-duty drench shower tester designed with a water-tight funnel to minimize getting wet during testing. The funnel directs water to a drain or bucket and prevents water splashing in the surrounding area. For testing eye wash fixtures, transparent plastic compliance gauges can help test the eye or eye/face wash system according to ANSI Z358.1-2014 testing protocols.
Avoid Contamination of Equipment
One of the newer eye/face wash models comes equipped with a self-draining design that eliminates any settled water in the system. This model also incorporates separate supply and waste pipes to prevent cross-contamination from the clean inlet and wastewater. Sometimes stagnant water is left over from false activations, tampering and other misuse by workers, leaving equipment vulnerable to contamination. While facility managers can avoid these issues by installing an eyewash alarm system, newer eyewash designs come equipped with either plastic or stainless-steel dust covers that shield the entire bowl from misuse and contamination.
Clean and Disinfect Workplace Surfaces
In the age of COVID-19, the importance of cleaning work areas cannot be overstated. According to the CDC, pathogens can remain viable on surfaces for days. Therefore, routine cleaning of workspaces and
32 Occupational Health & Safety | SEPTEMBER 2020
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