Eye washing Station

[Nellie Skallerup]

Howdy,

I am helping get a woodshop set up and we think we need to have an eye washing station. I see there are a variety of options out there, with various lengths of wash time. Can anyone here point me to a resource to better understand what OSHA might want to see? Or who at a state level sets these type of safety requirements? Before I go ahead and purchase the $150 unit that provides up to 3 minutes of flow time, I want to make sure we are getting something that is both functional and satisfies whatever requirements are necessary for a woodshop. Any advice greatly appreciated! Thanks! - Nellie

[Jack Frederick]

I can’t send you the regs, but a friend of mine is with EEmax, and electric on-demand water heater manuf (A Rheem Co) and I know they have been successfully doing EW stations.

[Brian Deakin]

I Live in the Uk an area which may be worth exploring is Fluorescein eye drops

I would seek advice from a medical professional before deciding if it is appropriate to use them

[Lee Schierer]

Unless you will be working with caustic or corrosive materials you probably don't need an eye wash station.

https://www.selectsafetysales.com/to...es-and-showers

[George Yetka]

https://www.grainger.com/product/HAW...-Station-3PVG8

this style will always have clean water in it. I have installed a couple dozen piped units and have noticed if you dont keep up on the maintenance of regularly running them they get a lot of stuff in the lines and will send that nasty water/sediment right into your eyes. these are much cheaper, easier to use and are pretty well sealed.

[Charlie Jones]

You are probably not required to have one. If you have a plumbed in unit you will need to flush it weekly. If you have more than one employee then you are required to comply with OSHA requirements. OSHA wants 15 minutes of water flow.

[Nellie Skallerup]

You are probably not required to have one. If you have a plumbed in unit you will need to flush it weekly. If you have more than one employee then you are required to comply with OSHA requirements. OSHA wants 15 minutes of water flow.

We do have more than 1 employee....but is sawdust considered a caustic or corrosive material? We for sure will get something whether we are required to or not....but the price difference between the 3 minute flow vs 15 flow is making me want to get clearer on if and what we are actually required to have. I don't really know who to ask to get a clear answer on this. I appreciate your input!

[Phil Mueller]

Not sure what OSHA regs are, but this is from the Mayo Clinic....they recommend 20 minutes...

If a chemical splashes into your eye, take these steps immediately.

1. Flush your eye with water. Use clean, lukewarm tap water for at least 20 minutes. Use whichever of these approaches is quickest:
   
   • Get into the shower and aim a gentle stream of water on your forehead over your affected eye. Or direct the stream on the bridge of your nose if both eyes are affected. Hold the lids of your affected eye or eyes open.
   • Put your head down and turn it to the side. Then hold the lids of your affected eye open under a gently running faucet. If you have access to a work site eye-rinse station, use it.
   • Young children may do best if they lie down in the bathtub or lean back over a sink. Pour a gentle stream of water on the forehead over the affected eye or on the bridge of the nose to flush both eyes.
   
   
   
2. Wash your hands with soap and water. Thoroughly rinse your hands to be sure no chemical or soap is left on them.
3. Remove contact lenses. If they don't come out during the flush, then take them out.

Caution

• Don't rub the eye — this may cause further damage.
• Don't put anything except water or contact lens saline rinse in the eye. And don't use eyedrops unless emergency personnel tell you to do so.

[roger wiegand]

I'm not obligated to have one by any regulation, but recently installed a simple station with two liter saline filled squirt bottles made as an eyewash station No idea if it meets any OSHA standard (actually it doesn't), but I have no running water in the shop and having anything available to start washing my eyes in the event of an incident seems like a really minimal precaution. The minute or two saved getting from the shop to the house, unable to see, and it serious pain could make all the difference, providing a moment to call for help while getting the worst of whatever it is out ASAP.

I would strongly disagree about only needing one if you work with caustics or corrosives, there are plenty of things in a wood shop that may not meet those legal definitions that you really don't want in your eyes. Sawdust and metal grit from a grinder would be among those things for me.

You can find OSHA’s primary Eyewash standard in 29 CFR 1910.151, they generally enforce the ANSI standard for eyewash stations, as there isn't a specific OSHA reg.

[Stan Coryell]

Your answer is in OSHA 1910:

The OSHA requirements for emergency eyewashes and showers, found at 29 CFR 1910.151(c), specify that "where the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials, suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body shall be provided within the work area for immediate emergency use. As the standard states, an eyewash and/or safety shower would be required where an employee's eyes or body could be exposed to injurious corrosive materials. If none of the materials used in this work area is an injurious corrosive [chemical] (as indicated by the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for each product), then an emergency eyewash or shower would not be required pursuant to 1910.151(c).

You don't need one. If hooked to city water, it needs to be flushed as mentioned above. I would get a large first aid kit and just keep buffered eye wash on hand. It's good for a year.

You may want to speak to your insurance company about first aid training and a rebate. If you go that route, make sure the instructor is a RN and not the "safety guy"

[roger wiegand]

OSHA provides the guidelines for the absolute minimum in safety in the workplace. Every place I ever worked went way beyond what OSHA required in order to create a safe working environment. I know full well that that is not always the case. I'd base a decision to have a station on the level of risk in your environment. I like my eyes, so I'm pretty protective of them.

I had the eyewash flushing task for many years in my lab. A few minutes a week to flush them and initial the tag on a half dozen of them. Not exactly burdensome. Flushing and testing the showers was more fun.

[Nellie Skallerup]

Your answer is in OSHA 1910:

The OSHA requirements for emergency eyewashes and showers, found at 29 CFR 1910.151(c), specify that "where the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials, suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body shall be provided within the work area for immediate emergency use. As the standard states, an eyewash and/or safety shower would be required where an employee's eyes or body could be exposed to injurious corrosive materials. If none of the materials used in this work area is an injurious corrosive [chemical] (as indicated by the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for each product), then an emergency eyewash or shower would not be required pursuant to 1910.151(c).

You don't need one. If hooked to city water, it needs to be flushed as mentioned above. I would get a large first aid kit and just keep buffered eye wash on hand. It's good for a year.

You may want to speak to your insurance company about first aid training and a rebate. If you go that route, make sure the instructor is a RN and not the "safety guy"

Thank you for that reference. We for sure want to have some eye wash on hand, but if we aren't required to have the 15 minute flush, we'd like to take the cost savings route. (As a kid, I did have an episode where I got a fleck of metal stuck in my eye, it was in there for a couple weeks and started to rust. Sunday afternoon, watching Batman with my brothers and my mom was like....eh, time to take her to the ER. I had to go in twice to get a spinning needle to my eye for them to dig it out. Not super fun - so I'm definitely not trying to skirt around safety, it's just a little confusing to interpret the OSHA language.)

Thanks for the insurance company / first aid training tip! Great idea!

[Nellie Skallerup]

thanks for your thoughts on this. We definitely want to create a safe work environment... I am grateful to get to consult with the SMC community of experienced woodshoppers

[Charlie Jones]

Your answer is in OSHA 1910:

The OSHA requirements for emergency eyewashes and showers, found at 29 CFR 1910.151(c), specify that "where the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials, suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body shall be provided within the work area for immediate emergency use. As the standard states, an eyewash and/or safety shower would be required where an employee's eyes or body could be exposed to injurious corrosive materials. If none of the materials used in this work area is an injurious corrosive [chemical] (as indicated by the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for each product), then an emergency eyewash or shower would not be required pursuant to 1910.151(c).

You don't need one. If hooked to city water, it needs to be flushed as mentioned above. I would get a large first aid kit and just keep buffered eye wash on hand. It's good for a year.

You may want to speak to your insurance company about first aid training and a rebate. If you go that route, make sure the instructor is a RN and not the "safety guy"

I resemble that remark. I was a “ Safety Guy” for many years before retirement. We were well trained and certified in First Aid. I don’t think an RN would be any more knowledgeable or a better instructor.

[Dave Seng]

A local EMT or Paramedic might be well suited for providing First Aid training as well. First Aid is pretty much dead-center in their job descriptions.