Reprinted from the ACJ - April, 1997
Doctor my eyes, they've seen the years. In a slow parade of tears...
Emotional turmoil and grief are sometimes best dealt with through time and tears, the healing process painstakingly documented by the trail of tears rolling, one by one, down our cheeks. Too bad the opposite relationship doesn't always hold: The faster the tears, the faster the healing. They would install eyewashes in funeral parlors, and in the Buffalo Bill's locker room.
Flooding of tears can cure some ailments, and the more-tears-the-faster-the-healing concept does apply in some cases. Whenever we get something in our eyes, be it physical or chemical, the faster we get it out, the better.
Viola! The eyewash was invented. Before that, everyone would stand around the shop telling the guy with acid in his eyes all kinds of sad stories about dead puppies and one-point championship game losses, trying to induce the man to weep out the chemical. This was not a terribly efficient method.
Speaking of not terribly efficient methodology, OSHA recognized the need for first aid for eye injuries in industry and added this paragraph to its first aid standard. According to 29CFR 1910.151: "Where the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials, suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body shall be provided within the area for immediate use."
That's it. That is the entire section regarding eyewashes and showers in OSHA's guidelines. So an indoor pool with a diving board or perhaps shelf space stocked with hundreds of Dixie cups filled with water may both satisfy the requirement. Not very well mind you, and I don't suggest these methods, but they would appear to satisfy it.
Instead, let's look for a bit more structure in our eyewash and shower standards. Enter ANSI Z358.1C1990. ANSI is the American National Standards Institute. These fine folks have given us a few more realistic guidelines on how to select eye first aid. OSHA uses these same guidelines in their appraisal of compliance.
The recommended procedure for response to a chemical exposure to the eyes is to flush the eyes with low pressure clean water for a minimum of 15 minutes. Hold the eyelids open to ensure a good cleansing. Then seek medical attention to assess and treat any injury. The same 15-minute flush is also recommended if you get your body or face soaked in corrosive chemicals.
ANSI puts a few parameters on this "flush" to help us make sure our eyewash systems will pass the "acid test" (bad pun, sorry). The guidelines require a minimum flow rate to ensure enough water gets all over the floor. Eyewashes require a flow of 0.4 gallons per minute (gpm). Add a full face wash to the eyewash and you will need 3 gpm. Safety showers need 30 gpm to be effective.
As with all technical fields, there is a method that industrial hygienists, engineers, and yourself can employ to ensure that the eyewash you purchase meets these requirements. It's a little complicated, so stay with me.
When you are assessing equipment in the supply catalogs, look for where it says "Meets ANSI Z358.1C1990 requirements." That's the applicable standard.
Now that you have the proper eyewash/shower, how can you be sure it is installed in the proper spot? ANSI suggests that an eyewash/shower be positioned such that is within 100 feet or 10 seconds of areas where corrosives are used. I am guessing that must be within a 10-second blind sprint while falling over stuff distance.
If you are using strong acids such as hydrochloric or sulfuric, the recommended distance to an eyewash/shower is 10 feet. This may necessitate several stations within your shop. So it's nice that eyewash/shower equipment comes in a nearly infinite variety of styles. Eyewash units can be stand alone, or be eyewash/shower combinations. They can be plumbed in, or have a storage tank filled with water or saline solution ready to flood your eyes when activated.
Note that these type of eyewashes may need to be flushed and refilled every two or three months to ensure a clean water supply (think old aquarium water). There are eyewashes that attach to existing faucets. There are portable models. There are one-shot eyewashes for keeping inside of a vehicle or for use in the field.
Eyewash/showers can be constructed of steel, stainless steel or plastics. They can provide different spray patterns. They can be supplied with many types of valves. This overwhelming variety allows you to customize the equipment to your application. Perhaps that swimming pool idea may not be so farfetched.
Keep the area around, and leading to, the eyewash/shower station clear. It is not easy to move cores, tools or cars out of the way with what feels like hot pokers in your eyes. Keep the area well lit and mark the station with signs, bright colors, etc.
Instruct your folks on how to operate it and test it every one or two weeks to make sure it's working properly and to flush out the stale water in the pipes. It's one thing to get drenched in chemicals and then power flushed with water, but another thing to get flushed with smelly discolored water. Remember "swirlies" from high school?
Mount the eyewash/shower at a level such that it is easily reached when you bend over at the waist. Mounting it low enough to double as a dog's water dish is not acceptable. Position the shower head on combo units away from the eyewash basin. That way workers don't have to climb in the eyewash bowl to take a shower.
It wouldn't be America without a plethora of accessories in a myriad of colors to supplement your eyewash/shower. Privacy curtains, foot activated valves and supplemental drench hoses are all available.
An alarm can be set up to sound when the eyewash is activated, thus pointing out to your coworkers that you screwed up and may need help, or perhaps just a signal for them to walk over and tease you mercilessly. I find that jokes referencing the "water dance" scene from the movie "Flashdance" work well, though they may be a little dated in 1997.
One of the more useful accessories available are dust covers that "float off" when the unit is activated. They keep the interactive surfaces clean and then get out of the way all by themselves. Catch basins, freeze-proof tapes and countless other doo-dads round out the collection.
With all the equipment available for purchase it is easy to loose sight (another bad pun) of the main objective: eye and skin protection. To review, we put in a 0.4 gpm eyewash and a 30 gpm shower within 100 feet of a hazardous chemical use area. Mark it with a sign, light the area, keep the area clear and test it weekly.
Not only will that be suitable for OSHA's purposes, but, as Jackson Browne says, "We have done all that we could to see the evil and the good... without crying."
The above article was written by David M. Brown, Chief Engineer of Johnson Manufacturing Company, Inc. and is published by JOHNSON with the expressed approval of the National Automotive Radiator Service Association and the Automotive Cooling Journal. Other reproduction or distribution of this information is forbidden without the written consent of JOHNSON and NARSA/ACJ. All rights reserved.
JOHNSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY
114 Lost Grove Road / PO Box 96 / Princeton, Iowa 52768-0096
Phone 563-289-5123 or Fax 563-289-3825