Page 12 - OHS, January/February 2021

EMERGENCY SHOWERS & EYEWASH
Safety Shower Solutions in
Freezing and Challenging
Work Environments
There must be proper equipment available to prevent harm while on the job.
BY RYAN PFUND
Working with corrosive chemicals, materials and contaminants poses serious health and safety chal- lenges which can often be mitigated with the proper use of emergency shower and eye wash equipment. However, add in cold weather variables like sub-zero temperatures, snow and freezing rain to the application, and the prospect of de- livering heated water becomes much more complicated.
The list of uncontrollable environmental factors that impact plumbed safety shower equipment isn’t limited to freezing weather. There is a long list of other worksite extremes—like explosive gases, high heat and salt-laden conditions—that can also impede optimal performance.
Still, when chemical and safety hazards exist, even the most challenging worksite environments must have emergency eye- washes and drench showers that meet certain requirements.
Why Tepid Water?
Specifically, the ANSI/ISEA Z358.1–2014 American National Standard for Emergency Eyewash and Shower Equipment requires that emergency eyewashes and drench showers deliver tepid water (60 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit) and supply enough flushing fluid for a duration of 15 minutes.1 Water must be delivered at 20 GPM for the shower and .4 GPM for the eyewash simultaneously to help remove particulates while soothing chemical burns and preventing chemical absorption.
Tepid water temperature for emergency safety fixtures is crucial in getting workers to use them for the entire washdown period. Imagine having to use untempered water from a safety shower or eyewash unit while working indoors, or even worse, outdoors on a cold day. It is nearly impossible for most people to sustain a full washdown with cold water. In fact, some experts believe that hu- man tolerance for showering with untempered water is about three minutes—a far cry from the 15-minute washdown. Flushing with cold water for a long period of time can even lead to hypothermia. Therefore, a dependable delivery system of on-demand tepid water is a must for encouraging a full flush of hazardous chemicals and materials from the eyes and/or body.
In all, ensuring that plumbed emergency safety equipment has access to properly heated water will help avoid worker injury, pre- vent workers from having to use ice cold water in the event of an emergency, avoid equipment downtime and costly repairs and help encourage peace of mind for all employees.
Safety Shower Inspections
Cold weather conditions undoubtedly make safety showers and eyewash stations vulnerable to the effects of cold temperatures. This makes it even more important to inspect these units on a weekly basis. It is critical to ensure safety showers and eyewashes are capable of providing flushing fluid on the coldest days of winter. The weekly test will ensure the unit is working properly and that lines are flushed of sediment or stagnant water.
A thorough safety servicing and winterization of equipment should be done at least annually. This includes inspection and a compliance assessment for every on-site safety shower, eyewash station and the pipes supplying the water. Be sure to record shower flow rates and water temperatures for each location. Test the water temperature and make sure tepid water will be available for a full 15-minute drench period.
Valve actuators must activate water flow within one second or less of being turned on while being hands-free. For eyewashes, the controlled flow of flushing fluid must be able to handle both eyes simultaneously.
What is an Extreme or Challenging Environment?
In addition to sub-zero temperatures, a long list of variables can stand in the way of providing plumbed emergency fixtures within
12 Occupational Health & Safety | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021
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