Eyewashes

GETTING AN EYEFUL

By Hayley Chandler

The accidents are always sudden, unexpected and among the most frightening: splashes of hazardous material in the eyes. What can you do about it?

"Where a worker is exposed to a potential hazard of injury to the eye due to contact with a biological or chemical substance, an eyewash fountain shall be provided." That’s what one provincial regulation says. And all the rest say pretty much the same with slight differences in wording, both specifically and through "general duty" clauses.

But what is a "potential hazard of injury to the eye" and how do you know if you need an eyewash fountain? The place to start is through an audit of processes and substances used in the workplace, and through a review of material safety data sheets (MSDS) for those substances. For example, the MSDS for one common solvent lists the following in its first aid section: "Eyes -- irrigate immediately with water for at least 15 minutes."

In most cases of accidental eye exposure to hazardous materials, to minimize harm to the eyes and to provide fast relief, the eyes should be flushed out with water as quickly as possible. More specifically, the eyes should be rinsed with potable water (suitable for drinking), or a salt solution specially made for flushing the eye, for a minimum of 15 minutes. The two key requirements to reducing damage to the eyes are removing the material quickly -- getting to the eyewash in seconds -- and flushing the eyes very, very thoroughly -- which means you need equipment specially designed for this purpose.

Emergency eyewash equipment is designed to direct soft streams of water into the eyes. There are permanent, plumbed units, which resemble water fountains; portable units, which are not connected to the plumbing system and contain water in a tank; and personal eyewash stations, which contain smaller amounts of water -- usually bottles of solution to squeeze directly into your eyes. Many different models of equipment are available in each category and no Canadian standard exists to guide the purchaser through the selection process. Fortunately, a standard has been set by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in the United States, and users can turn to the newly revised American National Standard for Emergency Eyewash and Equipment Z358.1-1998 for guidance on performance criteria, installation and maintenance.

Many Canadian provinces have regulations accept ANSI standards. In the case of eyewashes, they can be considered the "best available" standard. This has due diligence implications: Any question of due diligence concerning eyewashes would immediately focus on the general or available standard; adherance to the ANSI standard would establish that "all reasonable measures" had been taken.

One of the very first things to consider when evaluating eyewash equipment is the basic performance criteria. Look for equipment that will provide an uninterrupted, 15-minute supply of water. "Unless they have 15 minutes of flush of .4 gallons (1.5 litres) a minute total, servicing both eyes -- meaning nozzles for both eyes -- they cannot be referred to as eyewash stations and meet the ANSI standard," explains Jim Johnson, business unit manager for emergency shower and eyewash equipment for Encon Safety Products in Houston, Texas.

That means those personal wash stations, the squeeze bottles, don’t qualify as eyewash stations. "The real problem with the small bottles is that you don’t get a 15 minute flush to both eyes," states Johnson. However, the small size is also a big advantage in that they’re truly portable, and ideal for first aiders responding to an eye-splash accident. As Norman Russman, product manager for first aid at Arkon Safety Equipment in Anjou, Quebec, points out, the injured worker doesn’t have to go to the station. Someone else can pull a bottle out, and take it to the victim. The squeeze bottles can be used while in transit to medical facilities or to an eyewash station. They can be located almost anywhere. However, according to ANSI, you can’t rely on these alone. "A personal eyewash is something that can be used in addition to a plumbed or a portable unit but it cannot replace a plumbed or portable unit," states Tom White, National Sales Manager for Hawes Corporation in Sparks, Nevada.

Portable vs. plumbed units

When determining whether to install plumbed or portable eyewash stations, consider the facilities at your workplace. Eyewash units should be located as close to the hazard as possible. ANSI used to require installing eyewash stations within a ten-second travel distance and no farther than 100 feet from the hazard. "Now they say that the emergency equipment should be located within ten seconds of travel on the same level. They took the distance factor away," says Johnson.

If you can bring plumbing that close to the hazard, you’ll probably want to hook up a permanent eyewash because it will give you the greatest supply of water. "There’s no time limit on an eyewash that’s been plumbed. You can turn that on and it’ll run all day. For portable units, you’ve got a clock ticking as soon as you activate it," says White.

If you don’t have water available close to the hazard, you may have to go with a portable unit. This style is also preferable if you will need to relocate it frequently. "The advantage of a portable unit, obviously, is that you can move it around," says White. "The disadvantage of a portable eyewash is that it’s often times really not that portable," he adds. "Once you fill it up with 15 or 16 gallons of water, you’ve now got a 120 pounds of water to carry around."

Maintenance is another issue to consider when choosing between portable and plumbed units. "Portable units require a lot of maintenance," observes Johnson. "Typically in warm air environments -- at room temperature and above -- we grow substances in water, like fungus, bacteria and so forth, that would adversely affect the eye tissue." For this reason, he says, "we recommend that you use a biocide [in portable tanks]. So you clean them every sixty days and add a biocide or you clean them every three to seven days and don’t add a biocide. It’s just a lot of maintenance." And, of course, you must factor in additional expense in terms of labour and material. With plumbed units, it is not necessary to add anything to the water.

At least one company has addressed the contamination and maintenance issue by providing sealed cartridges of pH-balanced saline (salt) solution for portable eyewashes. The cartridges have a shelf life of 24 months. Personal eyewashes also typically come with saline solution. However, "what a lot of people don’t seem to understand," says Arkon’s Russman, is that "the minute you break the seal on that bottle, that expiry date does not count any more." So saline that is poured out of its original sealed container into personal or portable units won’t last as long. All of these solutions do, however, offer the advantage of being formulated to match the salinity and pH (acidity) of human tears, which makes them less irritating than tap water to the eye. But potable water does meet ANSI’s minimum requirement for flushing fluid and it is less expensive.

If you are considering portable units, you’ll find they fall into two general categories based on the driving force behind the flow of water. "The two major types of portable units are the pressurized portable or the gravity-fed portable," says White. The pressurized portable tank needs to be filled and then pressurized with air. "The gravity fed is very popular," according to White. "You just fill it up and hang it on the wall and activate it when you need it." Gravity acting on the water in the tank provide the pressure to make such units work. For example, a 14-gallon gravity-fed unit provides six gallons of water for flushing and uses eight gallons for force, explains Johnson. Pressurized portables are generally more expensive.

If you are purchasing a plumbed unit, you have the choice of wall-mounted, counter-mounted or pedestal models. When choosing between these configurations, the primary consideration is again what fits your facility. "Obviously if you wanted to put a shower or an eyewash next to the hazard and there was no wall nearby, you would have to either pedestal mount it or counter mount it if you had a counter," says Johnson.

Accessibility is another consideration when choosing the style of eyewash. "There are wheelchair accessible products available from all manufacturers," says Johnson. Eyewash units are extended farther away from the wall or pipes than normal to accommodate wheelchairs. It is also important to shield or buffer any under-hanging pipes and controls to prevent injury.

Temperature

Another option you have when purchasing eyewash equipment is selecting models that provide tempered water. It’s an important consideration. "People aren’t going to take a full 15 minute eyewash if the water is coming out at 50 or 60 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s just very uncomfortable," observes White. In fact, prolonged exposure to cold water can lead to hypothermia or shock. According to the newest ANSI standard, eyewash equipment should provide tepid water, which is described in the standard as "moderately warm, lukewarm."

"That’s a major change," says Johnson. Unfortunately, it’s not a very specific requirement. "Every buyer and every manufacturer will have an opinion on what tepid means. Tepid is not easily defined," he says.

"I sit on the board that writes the standard," states White, "and what we’re trying to do is try to get some research funded … so that we can come up with some parameters [for the best temperature]." In the meantime, it’s a subjective call. Because some chemical reactions can be accelerated by heat, it is wise to consult a medical advisor to determine the most appropriate temperature for flushing the hazardous chemical or chemicals in your workplace. In general, a comfortable temperature range is 15 to 35 C.

In addition to water temperature, you must consider the temperature in your workplace environment. If the eyewash equipment is outdoors or in an area that’s cold, you could have problems because of the water freezing. To address this, many models are specially designed for use in below-freezing temperatures. Design options for this purpose include electrical heating, insulation, elongated piping that extends below the frost line, and freeze resistant valves, which automatically bleed water lines to move water when it nears the freezing point. Commercially available products such as shelters and windbreaks help protect the user and the equipment from the elements.

Other types of equipment

Depending on the potential hazard in your workplace, you may need more than just an eyewash. Another option is the eye/facewash, which rinses the face and eyes simultaneously. "If it’s an irritant to the skin then you’re required to do the eye/face wash. If it’s an irritant to the eye only, then the eyewash will suffice," says Johnson.

Combination units feature a shower in addition to an eyewash or eye/facewash. They are necessary in cases where more than just the face and eyes could be contaminated. Due to the delicate nature of eyes, they should not be rinsed in units that are designed simply as emergency showers.

In some cases, water and air together intensify the harmful effects of the workplace contaminant. An alternative form of emergency equipment for such cases is a jump tank, which looks like a big bathtub. The worker submerses himself or herself under water before opening and irrigating the eyes.

Regular testing

Once you’ve installed eyewash equipment, don’t forget about it. "Develop a preventative maintenance program to make sure they work when they’re needed," says Johnson. "The biggest concern we have is that the units are installed and never operated for testing purposes."

"Eyewash equipment should be tested weekly," says White. "Oftentimes all that requires is that you turn it on and turn it off. Make sure you have proper flow. Make sure that you’re flushing the lines so that you don’t have bacteria or any kind of build up in your supply lines," he says.

In addition to that weekly test, "ANSI now recommends a full inspection of each emergency station on an annual basis," reports Johnson. And remember to keep pathways to the equipment clear. "You want the eyewash to be unencumbered; you want it to be accessible at all times to the worker," he says.

training, first aiders and potentially affected workers

Like all emergency equipment, eyewashes are no substitute for engineering controls, personal protective equipment or safe work practices. Nor are they a substitute for medical treatment. While their use is crucial, they are intended as first aid treatment only. If someone needs to use an eyewash, he or she also needs medical attention. 

Hayley Chandler is associate editor of safety purchasing for OHS CANADA.

BUYING TIPS

* Before purchasing eyewash equipment, check material safety data sheets (MSDS), WHMIS documents or with a health and safety expert to ensure the harmful effects of the hazardous chemicals in your workplace can’t be accelerated by water or water temperature.

* Some eyewashes are part of a combination unit including a deluge shower (which is also required under regulations where there is a hazard to the skin). Such units may be appropriate if the hazardous material in question can affect both the eyes and the skin.

* If it is found that eyewashes may be necessary in the workplace, consider personal wash stations (squeeze bottles containing saline solution), in addition to plumbed or portable stations, for use by first aiders coming to the aid of a splash victim.

*Look for models that have special designs to ensure a gentle, regulated flow of water.

* Pressure compensation devices or flow controls in the unit ensure that the performance of the eyewash won’t be affected even if there are changes in the workplace water pressure.

* Look for eyewash equipment that comes with strainers to prevent any large particles in the water from further damaging a worker’s eyes or from getting to the eyewash head and clogging it up. "Nine times out of 10 that’s what’s caused a failure in the eyewash," says White. "Depending on the manufacturer, sometimes it’s relatively easy and sometimes impossible to correct that without replacing the unit."

* The ANSI standard calls for valves that stay on until you manually shut them off. This frees workers’ hands to hold their eyes open or disrobe.

* The style of controls should be consistent on all eyewash equipment throughout the workplace. "If you train people to operate the units using a foot treadle, then they all should be equipped with foot treadles," states Johnson.

* Choose equipment that will be highly visible in your workplace environment.

* Eyewash equipment should be made of materials that are non-corrosive by potable water.

* Plastic components with ultraviolet inhibitors retain their colour and don’t crack for longer periods of time than those without.

* Consider an alarm system to summon help when for your eyewash equipment is activated if it is installed in a remote area or if employees may be working alone.

* Environmentally hazardous materials from your workplace accident probably shouldn’t go right down the sewer drain. Consider installing holding tanks to collect waste for proper disposal.

TRAINING

As with any other safety equipment, merely providing eyewash equipment is not enough. People in the workplace also need to be trained in its proper use.

* Considering the ANSI standard requiring the location of an eyewash within 10 seconds travel on the same level, eyewash drills (or dry runs, so to speak) may be a good way to test the accessibility of the eyewash while, at the same time, raising worker consciousness about them.

* Each worker should be trained in the proper use of the eyewash. A 15-minute safety talk and demonstration (you’ll need a volunteer with a change of clothing) is a good idea.

* When a spash accident occurs, getting to the eyewash has to be the first priority.

* The first thing to do, when using the eyewash, is to rinse as much of the splashed substance off the face as possible (to ensure that the wash doesn’t force the substance off the face and into the eyes).

* Next, open the eyes in the full stream of the eyewash to rinse as much of the substance out as possible.

* If the substance is also on the hands, rinse them thoroughly at this time.

* Then use clean hands (or call for assistance from a co-worker or first aider) to gently pull back the upper eyelid to allow water to flow over the entire eyeball; also pull back the lower lid. Move the eye back and forth and up and down in the water stream.

* Continue rinsing for 15 minutes. Many people are tempted to stop after a short time.

* In serious cases (or if it is not known how serious the exposure is) medical attention should always be sought.

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