Meeting World Standards and Ensuring Proper Performance

World Standards The American National Standard ANSI Z 358.1 2004 is the internationally recognised World Standard covering the design parameters for Emergency Safety Showers and Eye/Facewash Fountains. For those used in laboratories, the European Standard DIN EN 15154 (1+2) was published in Oct 2006. There is also a specific German standard relating to products within the scope of the gas and water industries, the DVGW accreditation.

Essential Requirements According to these standards, seven essential requirements must be met for Emergency Safety Showers and Eye/Facewash Fountains to function satisfactorily:  > Adequate Water Flow  > Ease of Operation > Instant and Positive Operation > Reliability > Installation Tips > Battling Corrosion > Test Programs

1. Adequate Water Flow:

Properly designed Emergency Safety Showers with manual valves (not self-closing) should deliver a minimum of 75 litres/min (16.6 gallons/min) from a water pressure of 2.1 Bar (30 psi). Shower heads should produce a conical deluge of water with a diameter of 50 cm at 150 cm from the floor surface when spraying from a height of between 208-244 cm, and the centre of this spray pattern should be 40 cm from any obstruction.

Eye/Facewash Fountains must provide a continuous effective minimum flow of water in the region of 11.5 litres/min (2.5 gallons/min) at a height of 84-114 cm. An auxiliary aerated Eyebath diffuser on hose should have a flow rate of not less than 1.5 litres/min (1/3 gallon/min). Higher flow rates for these can usually be achieved by adjusting the flow regulators.

In addition all Emergency Safety Showers and Eye/Facewash units must provide a continuous effective flow of water at the minimum rated pressure.

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2. Ease of Operation:

Activation devices must be simple to use and easily accessible - even if the victim has impaired vision. Stay-open ball valves operated either by hand pull levers, panic bars or a walk-on foot control enable an Emergency Shower to be operated quickly and efficiently delivering a continuous drench for 15 minutes, allowing the casualty to remove any contaminated clothing without having to hold on to a spring return valve. Quick action valves operated by push flag, Treadle foot control or by simply lifting a lid will enable an Eyebath or Facewash unit to be operated quickly and efficiently for 10-15 minutes and leave the hands free to hold the eyes open throughout the irrigation. It is a requirement that all personnel exposed to hazardous substances be fully trained in the use of Emergency Shower and Eyebath Equipment.

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3. Instant and Positive Operation:

Instant and positive operation is imperative for all Emergency Shower and Eyebath Equipment as every second counts in an emergency. Water supply valves must open quickly and simply as maximum flooding action must be provided within 1 second.

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4. Reliability of Equipment:

Probably the single most important factor when choosing this type of equipment is how well made it is. Units must be capable of performing their required service even after long periods of idleness. Top quality valves operated by jam-proof, robust and corrosion-resistant actuating devices are essential for total reliability. To ensure reliability of units installed outdoors in cold climates, it is essential that these units be freeze proof. Furthermore, when units are installed outdoors in very hot climates, it is equally as important that these units are insulated from the effects of overheating due to solar radiation.

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5. Installation Tips

Emergency Safety Showers and Eye/Facewash Units should be within 10 seconds reach if an accident occurs; for strong acids and caustics they must be immediately adjacent to the hazard. Ideally they should be centrally located in a prominent position and not obstructed by heavy traffic or clutter. Such spots are easily remembered by panic-stricken persons. Both Emergency Showers and Eye/Facewash units should be on the same level as the hazard.

All units should be clearly labelled with pictogram signs to EC Standard 92/58/EEC (or international equivalent) and wherever possible, green/white stripes or green lights should be used to help identify the Shower/Eyebath areas.

Regardless of the type of fixture installed, only potable water should be used. The inlet water pressure must meet the manufacturers recommended minimum and the supply pipe should have at least the same diameter as the inlet pipe on the equipment - even larger if long lengths of pipe are being used to feed this equipment and especially if only low water pressures are available.

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6. Battling Corrosion

It is very important to ensure that Emergency Showers and Eye/Facewash Fountains are corrosion resistant as this adds to their reliability and dramatically increases their life-span. Units made of conventional materials which are unprotected obviously deteriorate more rapidly in corrosive environments and subsequently require significantly more maintenance. Corrosion resistant outer jackets or other protective coatings are recommended for use in such areas. Plastic coating over stainless steel has been found to be one of the most successful methods of eliminating corrosion on operating handles and linkages, as well as the use of stainless steel nuts, bolts and washers. ABS and Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) eyewash bowls have performed well too, even better than stainless steel which can be affected by the chemicals present on some sites.

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7. Test Programs

It is vital that Emergency Safety Showers and Eye/Facewash Fountains be visually inspected every day to make certain that nothing has been placed in or around them which may prevent quick and easy access. Water flow should be checked at least once a week to “flush the line, and to verify proper operation” and to ensure that the water supply line has not been inadvertently turned off. Eyebaths and Eye/Facewash Fountains should be tested daily and cleaned on a regular basis.

A good maintenance programme for Emergency Safety Showers and Eye/Facewash Fountains is also very important as it can increase their life span and guarantee the equipment’s reliability. As well as being beneficial from an employee’s point of view, the Health and Safety Executive consider them lifesaving equipment, in the same way as they do fire extinguishers; regular servicing can help satisfy the Health and Safety Executive’s Inspector that this equipment is being well maintained.

The COSHH Regulations require that safety equipment is “maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair”, also records must be kept of the examinations and tests carried out for a period of at least five years. The ANSI Standard specifies annual inspections and maintenance logs.

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