Best Practices for Maintaining Emergency Eyewash and Safety Shower Stations in Hazardous Work Environments

In this article, we’ll offer you some advice on best practices for maintaining emergency eyewash and safety shower stations. Though all of our tips and tricks can be applied to any workplace, we suggest being extra diligent about implementing a rigorous maintenance schedule if you work in a high-hazard environment, for reasons we’ll explore in depth later on.

Maintaining Emergency Showers in Hazardous Work Environments

What Exactly Constitutes a “Hazardous Work Environment?”

Such environments are ones where employees are exposed to materials labeled as any of the following:

  • Corrosive
  • Toxic
  • Health hazard
  • Irritant
  • Explosive
  • Flammable

Some places where these materials can typically be found include:

  • Laboratories
  • Manufacturing plants
  • Healthcare/medical facilities
  • Production facilities

Regardless of where and in what capacity hazardous substances are being used, if employees are at risk of exposure to such materials, installing and maintaining emergency eyewash and safety shower stations is the responsibility of employers.

Our Recommended Tips and Tricks for Maintaining Emergency Eyewash and Safety Shower Stations

Drenching and flushing facilities are only as effective as the employees that use them! Make the location of eyewash stations and safety showers known and easily accessible. Teach employees how to properly use both, for their own well-being, as well as that of the equipment.

This practice falls in line with the last one; to make absolutely sure that employees are using equipment properly, post instructions on how to activate stations and flush away hazards.

During weekly inspections and flush tests:

  • Verify that the water
    • Is clear
    • Can run continuously for at least 15 minutes
    • Is between 60–100°F
  • Check for mold, discoloration, odors, or compromised components
    • If any damaged components are found, make plans to replace them immediately
  • Make sure only 1 door (if any) separate any given work space from the closest station

Bonus Tip: To make sure that a 16-in. radius of clearance is maintained around the head of safety showers, use floor tape to mark it out!

Also schedule servicing from a qualified technician at least once a year.

In addition to maintaining emergency eyewash and safety shower stations themselves, you must also maintain records of each inspection, test, and instance of servicing.

At least once a quarter, walk through your site and review all emergency eyewash and safety showers stations. Make sure that any staff hired since the last walk-through has been trained and that operations have not shifted so much that additional facilities are needed. If, for example, a space that once was used for handling only benign materials is now used to handle corrosives, either rework the workspace or immediately make arrangements for the installation of more stations.

While OSHA has not officially adopted this standard, the Administration often refers employers with questions about the specifics of owning and maintaining flushing facilities to it. To learn more about the specifics of ANSI/ISEA Z358.1, see our article on it.

To simplify maintaining emergency eyewash and safety shower stations, use the premier safety asset inspection software on the market: InspectNTrack. It uses automation to generate optimized routes between units, schedule recurring inspections, assign them to users, and track and store documentation of said inspections.

Why Is Maintaining Emergency Eyewash and Safety Shower Stations Important?

Having functional, safe flushing facilities nearby is of vital importance, as the first 10–15 seconds after exposure to hazardous substances can be the determining factor in whether or not victims sustain serious injuries. Unsurprisingly, the risk of exposure is especially high in hazardous work environments, making maintaining emergency eyewash and safety shower stations all the more crucial.

Regular flushing is paramount to ensuring that eyewash stations and safety showers are able to do what they were designed to do. The truth is, if left unflushed for a long time, facilities become breeding grounds for infectious microorganisms that will only make a bad situation worse, such as:

Microorganism Infection(s) Symptoms
Acanthamoeba Acanthamoeba keratitis Redness, pain, and inflammation of the eyes

Excessive tearing

Blurry or cloudy vision

Light sensitivity

Permanent vision loss
Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis Inflammation

Pain

Green-blue pus

Swelling

Sudden vision loss
Legionella Pontiac fever Legionnaires’ disease Cough

Fever

Chills

Fatigue

For Legionnaires’ disease only: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, mental confusion, chest pain

Pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis is particularly dangerous for a number of reasons:

  1. The microorganism only needs to be inhaled via water vapor to be contracted (direct contact with the eyes is not required).
  2. If it spreads to the bloodstream, it can cause death.
  3. It is contagious.
  4. It can be antibiotic-resistant.

Immunocompromised workers, as well as those with skin damage, are particularly at risk of developing these illnesses.

Diligently maintaining emergency eyewash and safety shower stations also ensures compliance with OSHA CFR 29 1910.151(c), which stipulates that “suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body” be provided for “immediate emergency use” anywhere people are at risk of exposure to “injurious corrosive materials.” As previously expressed, OSHA doesn’t provide any further details on what such facilities would look like, how often they should be inspected, etc., but has continually pointed employers to ANSI/ISEA Z358.1 as a reference. Again, InspectNTrack makes this simple by providing pre-made OSHA-compliant inspection templates for users. Request a demo to get started with us today!