In a survery conducted by Prevent Blindness America, daily more than 2,000 people suffer an eye injury while working. Within that group, 10 to 20% will have permanent or temporary vision loss from those injuries. One of the key causes in workplace eye injuries, causing one-fifth of these injuries, is chemical exposure. While putting on safety glasses and goggles goes a long way toward defending the eyes from potential damage, it is not the only necessary precaution. Here is where eyewashes help as well. (A point to remember here is that OSHA does not accept an eyewash in replace of personal protection equipment (PPE) such as goggles and safety glasses. It is to be provided in addition to PPE.) OSHA instructs that eyewashes be provided in the workplace anywhere employees' eyes could be "exposed to injurious corrosive materials" (for example, battery-charging environments or environments wherever batteries are manufactured, and film processing environments everywhere corrosive chemicals are handled). Corrosive agents, as defined by OSHA, are materials that "cause visible destruction of, or irreversible alterations in, living tissue by chemical action at the site of contact." This incorporates not only acids but also bases and any other materials that can cause this type of tissue harm. Substances that merely irritate the eyes without causing damage in general do not initiate a condition for an eyewash. If you have a inquiry as to whether or not you should require an eyewash, verify the material safety data sheet for the chemical of concern. There are also a assortment of OSHA regulations that are associated to specific types of procedures that direct employers supply eye washes, including, for example, anywhere there is probable eye exposure to bloodborne pathogens and in dipping and coating operations. There are several types of eyewashes (see below); however, all eyewashes should satisfy certain OSHA requirements: · Emergency eyewash stations must be open for urgent emergency use (this means that it is easily accessible and is positioned next to the area where the danger is present). · Eyewashes are required to be provided regardless of the extent of the corrosive chemical present—the trigger for the requirement for an eyewash is that people may be subjected to eye injury as a result of the existence of the chemical. There are various types of eyewash stations. Plumbed eyewash stations get tap water from the pipes connected to your building's water supply. Types of plumbed units include those that attach to sink faucets, stand-alone or wall-mount bowl units, and those that are used in combination with a drench shower. The benefit of a plumbed unit is that, despite the fact that it needs to be activated at minimum once weekly, it does not mandate monitoring for an expiration date and does not have to be refilled after use. Plumbed units, however, can be more challenging to locate near a danger area for the reason that, if plumbing is not available, it requires putting in or rerouting of pipes. There are mainly two types of self-contained eyewash stations. The first uses tap water mixed with a preservative to lower the potential of bacterial growth. This type of station usually mandates that it be cleaned and refilled every six months since, while the additive reduces bacterial growth, it does not eliminate it. The second kind of self-contained unit employs sealed cartridges containing purified water or saline solution rather than tap water. These types of self-contained units generally have a 24-month storage life. When the end of the shelf life has been reached, the cartridges are uninstalled and replaced with fresh ones. The advantages of self-contained units are that they don't involve plumbing, can be moved to a different site far more effortlessly than plumbed units, and don't call for weekly activation. The disadvantage of the units is that expiration dates need to be thoroughly inspected and once used, the unit needs to be refilled or replaced. Always inspect the manufacturer's information to verify the shelf-life of eyewash fluid and maintenance and refilling necessities. A third type of eyewash systems is personal eyewash equipment like squeeze bottles. This type of eyewash can be used to support eyewash stations but should not be used in place of one. A squeeze bottle eyewash can be a valuable tool in allowing for early, immediate flushing of the eyes when kept near a risky area, buying time for the employee to get to the eyewash. However, they do not provide a ample quantity of fluid to flush the eyes for 15 minutes—which is considered required for properly flushing chemicals from the eyes. Also, personal eyewash equipment is usually not considered a safe option with water-sensitive chemicals (chemicals like sodium and potassium that mix with water).
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In a survery conducted by Prevent Blindness America, every day more than 2,000 people suffer an eye injury at work. Of that group, 10 to 20% will have permanent or temporary vision loss as a result of those injuries.
About The Author: Mike Richards is a risk management expert specializing in industrial safety equipment and lab safety equipment.
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