DCHAS-L Archives, Jul 6, 2018 - Re: [DCHAS-L] Emergency Shower and Eyewash Temperatures

Note that the same ANSI standard that recommends tepid water also recommends weekly testing. Like OSHA, our state MIOSHA doesn't "require" following the ANSI standards, but makes it clear they expect it as seen in these excerpts from the "MIOSHA Fact Sheet, Eyewashes and Safety Showers":

NOTE when reading these that failure to provide a suitable facility can be deemed a violation.

What does "suitable facilities" mean?

The terms suitable facilities, appropriate eyewash facilities, and other such terms that appear in various MIOSHA standards/rules, can be met by following the ANSI (American National Standard Institute) standard for Emergency Eyewash and Shower Equipment (Z358.1 - 2004). [Note, I've deleted two sentences because they are changing the definition of when they are required and distance from hazard; the new requirements now mirror the ANSI standard] The ANSI standard also provides eyewash/shower specifications, inspection requirements, and other important elements.

and

Does MIOSHA require the supply of tempered water at plumbed eyewash and safety showers?

MIOSHA standards do not require any specific temperatures. However, implied in the term "suitable facility" is providing a water temperature that is not too cold or hot. ANSI Z358.1 - 2004 recommends that tepid water (temperatures between 60 =B0-to-100 =B0 F) be supplied. Temperatures below 60 =B0 F may cause the employee not to use the facility long enough (15-minutes). Temperatures above 100 =B0 F may be too hot and enhance chemical interactions with the eyes and skin.

and

Does MIOSHA require testing of such facilities?

MIOSHA standards do not specifically require testing of plumbed emergency eyewashes or safety showers. However, ANSI Z358.1 - 2004 does require the testing of such equipment on a weekly basis. The pertinent point to remember is that such facilities are provided for "emergency use." Facilities that are not routinely tested may not perform per the manufacturer's specifications and deliver uncontaminated water. This can result in the employer failing to provide a "suitable facility" and more importantly leave employees unprotected.

Jeff

On Fri, Jul 6, 2018 at 4:13 PM <mail**At_Symbol_Here**echelonenvironmental.net> wrote:

Mr. Towle,

Back to the original question: "Are there any regulations surrounding eyewash and emergency shower temperatures?"

The answer is No.

OSHA (the regulatory body in our case) has a regulation at 29 CFR 1910.151(c) which requires eyewash/showers to be available where employees can be exposed to chemicals hazardous to the skin or eyes. Nowhere in this rule is a temperature range specified for the water.

OSHA often refers to ANSI [Z]358.1-2004 which does specify a temp range of 85 to 100F, but this is guidance only - not enforceable.

Guidance is good though, because if your employee has to use an ice cold or scalding hot eyewash/shower, your insurance company will be much displeased and their lawyer will be dancing all the way to the bank.

I hope this helps. Good luck.

Ron Harvey
Echelon Environmental
843-599-0330
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronharvey/

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Emergency Shower and Eyewash Temperatures
From: Tyrell Towle <tyrelltowle**At_Symbol_Here**GMAIL.COM>
Date: Fri, July 06, 2018 11:23 am
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU

Thank you for your input, everyone! This is a lot of great information for me to use moving forward.

Upon further inspection of our setup, there is a single mixing valve beneath each handwashing sink that feeds both the sink and the emergency eyewash. Has anyone encountered this configuration before? To me, it seems that there should be a separate mixing valve for the handwashing sink and the eyewash since they have different temperature requirements.

Anyway, thank you, again!

-Tyrell
On Fri, Jul 6, 2018 at 11:56 AM, Chance, Brandon <bchance**At_Symbol_Here**mail.smu.edu> wrote:

Also, remember that mixing valves fail. I have had situations where mixing valves that served all of the units on a floor have failed on the hot side, resulting in a complete system having water above 120F. We have asked our Facilities group to ensure the valves are part of the building preventative maintenance plan after we had to rebuild or replace a number of them.

Regards,

Brandon S. Chance, MS, CCHO

Director of Environmental Health and Safety

Sustainability Committee Chair

Office of Risk Management

Southern Methodist University

PO Box 750231 | Dallas, TX 75275-0231

T) 214.768.2430 | M) 469-978-8664

bchance**At_Symbol_Here**smu.edu

"- our job in safety is to make the task happen, SAFELY; not to interfere with the work-" Neal Langerman

Previous post | Top of Page | Next post

The content of this page reflects the personal opinion(s) of the author(s) only, not the American Chemical Society, ILPI, Safety Emporium, or any other party. Use of any information on this page is at the reader's own risk. Unauthorized reproduction of these materials is prohibited. Send questions/comments about the archive to secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org.
The maintenance and hosting of the DCHAS-L archive is provided through the generous support of Safety Emporium.

Interactive Learning Paradigms, Incorporated

DCHAS-L Discussion List Archive

Previous by Date

Next by Date