You must:
• Provide an emergency shower:
– When there is potential for major portions of an employee's body to contact corrosives, strong irritants, or toxic chemicals.
– That delivers water to cascade over the user's entire body at a minimum rate of 20 gallons (75 liters) per minute for fifteen minutes or more.
• Provide an emergency eyewash:
– When there is potential for an employee's eyes to be exposed to corrosives, strong irritants, or toxic chemicals.
– That irrigates and flushes both eyes simultaneously while the user holds their eyes open.
– With an on-off valve that activates in one second or less and remains on without user assistance until intentionally turned off.
– That delivers at least 0.4 gallons (1.5 liters) of water per minute for fifteen minutes or more.
| Note: | Chemicals that require emergency washing facilities: |
| • You can determine whether chemicals in your workplace require emergency washing facilities by looking at the material safety data sheet (MSDS) or similar documents. The MSDS contains information about first-aid requirements and emergency flushing of skin or eyes. |
| • For chemicals developed in the workplace, the following resources provide information about first-aid requirements: |
| – NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards |
| *DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 97-140 |
| *http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/ggdstart.html |
| – Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) |
You must:
• Make sure emergency washing facilities:
– Are located so that it takes no more than ten seconds to reach.
– Are kept free of obstacles blocking their use.
– Function correctly.
– Provide the quality and quantity of water that is satisfactory for emergency washing purposes.
| Note: | • If water in emergency washing facilities is allowed to freeze, they will not function correctly. Precautions need to be taken to prevent this from happening. |
| • The travel distance to an emergency washing facility should be no more than fifty feet (15.25 meters). |
| • For further information on the design, installation, and maintenance of emergency washing facilities, see American National Standards Institute (ANSI) publication Z358.1 - 1998, Emergency Eyewash and Shower Equipment. Emergency washing facilities that are designed to meet ANSI Z358.1 - 1998 also meet the requirements of this standard. The ANSI standard can be obtained from the American National Standards Institute, 1430 Broadway, New York, New York 10018. |
| Reference: | • Training in the location and use of your emergency washing facilities is required under the employer chemical hazard communication rule, WAC 296-800-170, and the accident prevention program rule, WAC 296-800-140. |
| • All emergency washing facilities using "not fit for drinking" (nonpotable) water must have signs stating the water is "not fit for drinking." See WAC 296-800-23010. |
[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, [49.17].040, and[49.17].050 . 02-16-047, § 296-800-15030, filed 8/1/02, effective 10/1/02.]