Emergency Showers and Eyewashes - a PDH Online Course for Engineers, Architects and Surveyors

Emergency Showers and Eyewashes

John M. Rattenbury, P.E., CIPE, LEEDap

Course Outline

This course:

Introduces you to the two main references pertaining to emergency showers and eyewashes.
Reviews the basic items to be aware of when determining the compliance of emergency showers and eyewashes with consensus standards.
Reviews the recommendations for flushing water delivery temperature.
Reviews the function of thermostatic mixing valves.
Comments on the design considerations for pipe distribution.
Comments on the design considerations for prevention of water stagnation.
Comments on the placement of floor drains near emergency showers.
Provides some guidance on how to identify when a material may pose a hazard and trigger the requirement for an emergency shower or eyewash.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will:

Be able to identify the governing OSHA law that requires employers to provide suitable drenching facilities;
Be able to identify the voluntary consensus standard typically used to provide consistent minimum standards of drenching equipment performance;
Understand the relationship between OSHA’s law and the industry’s consensus standard;
Understand the reasons for providing tempered (i.e. warm to lukewarm) water to emergency showers and eyewashes;
Be aware of certain design considerations to minimize water stagnation in the supply piping system; and
Be able to identify other references in which information is provided to identify the potential hazard of materials and the recommended first aid treatment.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for architects and plumbing engineers.

Benefit to Attendees

Attendee of this course will be able to better understand the standards related to emergency shower and eyewash facilities and other design considerations for their placement and plumbing connections.

Course Introduction

This paper provides some guidance to architects and engineers regarding the installation of emergency eyewash and shower equipment for laboratories, factories and similar facilities. Not every specific situation can be anticipated by this course material, so any determination of the need for, location of, maintenance of, and any other aspect of plumbed emergency first aid equipment (i.e. showers and eyewashes) can only be made by a responsible occupational hygienist, employer safety officer or medical professional. The following information is based on the published standards and regulations guiding designers to provide a basis for making design recommendations.

Course Content

The course content is in the following PDF file:

Emergency Showers and Eyewashes

Please click on the above underlined hypertexts to view, download or print the documents for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Course Summary

1. Be aware of the relationship between OSHA and ANSI. OSHA is a law but it doesn't say much. ANSI is a voluntary consensus standard, not a code (unless it is adopted as such by a state or local jurisdiction). OSHA does not reference ANSI to incorporate it into a law. Neither ANSI nor OSHA says exactly when emergency drenching equipment is needed. This is the responsibility of an employer.

2. Both MSDS and NFPA 49 are excellent sources of information for making an informed decision on where the equipment is needed. MSDS gives specific guidance on first aid measures, including the need for flushing water and the duration of treatment.

3. When in doubt, request a copy of the MSDS sheets for all of the chemicals intended to be present. If as a designer, you introduces hazardous chemical systems (such as pH adjustment systems, boiler feed water treatment chemicals, cooling tower treatments, etc.) the designer should provide for the appropriate emergency shower and eyewash equipment.

4. Feed tempered water (i.e. water between 60 degrees F and 95 degrees F) to all emergency showers and eyewash installations in normal circumstances. However, if using tempered water will pose a hazard with a chemical (or when in doubt), the appropriate chemical manufacturer or a medical professional should be consulted to determine the appropriate flushing water temperature.

5. Typically, provisions must be made to prevent prolonged stagnation of the water in the supply piping system. Regular flushing of the system is recommended. Circulation to maintain a set temperature is normally not required unless the piping system is subject to ambient temperatures below the tempered water recommended range.

Related Links

For additional information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

29 CFR 1910.151 “Medical Services and First Aid.”
American National Standards Institute

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.