ANSI Z358.1 Emergency Eye Wash and Shower Equipment

ANSI Z358.1 Compliance Checklist

GUARDIAN EQUIPMENTEmergency Eye Wash and Shower Equipment

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2 © 1999 / Guardian Equipment Co.

IntroductionThe selection of emergency eye wash and shower equipmentis often a complicated process. In addition to addressingdesign and engineering issues, specifiers must be aware ofregulatory requirements and compliance standards. A com-mon reference point when specifying emergency equipmentis ANSI Z358.1, “Emergency Eye Wash and ShowerEquipment.” This standard is a widely accepted guideline forthe proper selection, installation and maintenance ofemergency equipment.

To assist specifiers in understanding the provisions of thisstandard, Guardian Equipment has prepared this ANSICompliance Checklist. In this Checklist, we have summa-rized and graphically presented the provisions of the stan-dard. This Checklist can serve as a starting point for design-ing emergency eye wash and shower systems.

Legal RequirementsThe Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 was enact-ed to assure that workers are provided with “safe and health-ful working conditions.” Under this law, the OccupationalSafety and Heath Administration (OSHA) was created andauthorized to adopt safety standards and regulations to fulfillthe mandate of improving worker safety.

OSHA has adopted several regulations which refer to the useof emergency eye wash and shower equipment. The primaryregulation is contained in 29 CFR 1910.151, which requiresthat...

“...where the eyes or body of any person may beexposed to injurious corrosive materials, suitable facil-ities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes andbody shall be provided within the work area for imme-diate emergency use.”

ANSI Z358.1The OSHA regulation regarding emergency equipment isquite vague, in that it does not define what constitutes “suit-able facilities” for drenching the eyes or body. In order toprovide additional guidance to employers, the AmericanNational Standards Institute (ANSI) has promulgated avoluntary standard covering emergency eye wash andshower equipment. This standard—ANSI Z358.1—isintended to serve as a guideline for the proper design,performance, installation, use and maintenance ofemergency equipment.

ANSI Z358.1 was originally adopted in 1981. It was rewrittenin 1990 and again in 1998. This Compliance Checklist sum-marizes and graphically presents the provisions of the 1998version of the standard.

General ConsiderationsANSI Z358.1-1998 contains provisions regarding the design,performance, installation, use and maintenance of varioustypes of emergency equipment (showers, eye washes,drench hoses, etc.). In addition to these provisions, there aresome general considerations which apply to all emergencyequipment. These considerations may not necessarily bepart of the standard, but we believe that they should beaddressed when considering emergency equipment. Theseinclude the following:

First Aid DevicesEmergency eye wash and shower units are designed todeliver water to rinse contaminants from a user’s eyes, faceor body. As such, they are a form of first aid equipment to beused in the event of an accident. However, they are not asubstitute for primary protective devices (including eye andface protection and protective clothing) or for safe proce-dures for handling hazardous materials.

Emergency ResponseSimply installing emergency equipment is not a sufficientmeans of assuring worker safety. Employees must be trainedin the location of emergency equipment and in its proper use.Emergency equipment must be regularly maintained (includ-ing weekly activation of the equipment) to assure that it is in

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ANSI Z358.1-1998 Compliance Checklist

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working order and inspected annually for complicance withthe standard. Most importantly, employers should develop aresponse plan to be used in the event that an accident doesoccur. The focus of the response plan should be to provideassistance to the injured worker as quickly as possible. Weoffer a variety of alarm systems which may be installed inconjunction with our emergency equipment. They serve toalert personnel and summon assistance if an eye wash orshower is activated. WE RECOMMEND INSTALLING ANALARM UNIT WITH ANY EMERGENCY EYE WASH ORSHOWER UNIT.

Location of Emergency EquipmentIn general, the ANSI standard requires that emergency equip-ment be installed within 10 seconds walking time from thelocation of a hazard. The equipment must be installed on thesame level as the hazard (i.e. accessing the equipmentshould not require going up or down stairs or ramps). Thepath of travel from the hazard to the equipment should befree of obstructions and as straight as possible.

However, there are certain circumstances where theseguidelines may not be adequate. For example, where work-ers are handling particularly strong acids, caustics or othermaterials where the consequences of a spill would be veryserious, emergency equipment should be installed immedi-ately adjacent to the hazard.

Laboratory environments may also require special consider-ation. It is common in many laboratory buildings to installemergency equipment in a corridor or hallway outside of thelab room. This may satisfy the provisions of the standard butstill not provide workers with immediate access to emer-gency equipment. In these cases, we recommend installingcombination eye wash/drench hose units at lab sinks (seepage 7). These units are highly accessible and versatile.They provide immediate protection for the eyes, face or bodywhen a spill involves a relatively small amount of hazardousmaterial.

Water TemperatureThe 1998 version of the standard states that the water tem-perature delivered by emergency equipment should be“tepid” (i.e. moderately warm or lukewarm). However, whereit is possible that a chemical reaction might be acceleratedby warm water, a medical professional should be consultedto determine what the optimum water temperature would be.

The delivery of tepid water to emergency equipment mayraise complicated engineering issues. At a minimum, it gen-erally involves providing both hot and cold water to the unit,and then installing a blending valve to mix the water to thedesired temperature. Guardian offers a variety of temperingunits to blend and temper water. Please contact our office forfurther information.

Disposal of WaterThe standard does not include any provisions regarding thedisposal of waste water. However, designers must give con-sideration to where waste water will go. In particular, caremust be taken that waste water not create a hazard (i.e. bycreating a pool in which someone might slip) or freeze.

Generally, Guardian eye wash, eye/face wash and safety sta-tion units are designed with waste connections for connec-tion to drain piping. WE RECOMMEND THAT EMERGENCYEYE WASH AND SHOWER UNITS BE CONNECTED TO DRAINPIPING. FOR EMERGENCY SHOWERS, FLOOR DRAINSSHOULD BE PROVIDED. However, after an emergency eyewash or shower has been used, the waste water may con-tain hazardous materials which cannot be introduced into asanitary sewer. It may then be necessary to connect thedrain piping to the building’s acid waste disposal system orto a neutralizing tank.


This checklist is a summary of the provisions of ANSI Z358.1-1998 relating to emergency showers. Please refer to the standard for a complete listing of these provisions.

All Guardian emergency showers (except units with self-closingvalves) are third-party certified to meet or exceed the require-ments of ANSI Z358.1-1998.

Emergency Showers

Shower head shall bebetween 82" (208.3 cm)

and 96" (243.8 cm)from floor surface.

(Section 4.1)

Shower must provide20 gallons (75.7 liters)

of water per minute.(Section 4.1)

IdentificationIdentify shower locationwith highly visible sign.Area around shower shallbe well lighted.(Section 4.6.2)

Easily located, accessibleactuator no higher than69" (173.3 cm) abovefloor. (Section 4.3)

“Hands-free” stay-openvalve activates in onesecond or less.(Section 4.2)

EMERGENCYSHOWER

20"

82-96"

60"

69" maximum

Water supply shall besufficient to supply flowrate and pattern for 15minutes.(Sections 4.1,4.6.4)

LocationInstall shower within 10seconds of hazard and withunobstructed travel path.(Section 4.6.1)

Water TemperatureWater delivered by showershall be tepid (lukewarm).(Section 4.6.6)

TrainingInstruct all employees in thelocation and proper use ofemergency showers.(Section 4.7.3)

Maintenance/InspectionTest shower at least weekly.(Section 4.7.2) Inspect annu-ally for compliance with stan-dard. (Section 4.7.4)

ETL Listed 101496Units have been testedto and comply withANSI Z358.1-1998

Center of the water patternshall be at least 16" (40.6 cm) from any

obstructions.(Section 4.1)

At 60" (152.4 cm) abovefloor surface, the waterpattern must be at least

20" (50.8 cm) in diameter.(Section 4.1)


Eye/Face Washes

EMERGENCYEYE/FACE

WASH

Controlled, low velocityflow completely rinses

eyes and face and is notinjurious to user.

(Section 7.1.1)

Outlet heads shall bepositioned between

33" (83.8 cm) and 45"(114.3 cm) from the floorand at least 6" (15.3 cm)

from the wall or nearestobstruction. (Section 7.4.1)

Unit must be capable ofdelivering 3.0 gallons

(11.4 liters) of water perminute for 15 minutes.

(Section 7.1.4)

Valve actuator shall belarge enough to be easilylocated and operatedby the user. (Section 7.2)

Connect unit touninterruptible watersupply with at least30 PSI flow pressure.(Section 7.4.2)

IdentificationIdentify eye/face washwith highly visible sign.Area around eye/facewash shall be well lighted.(Section 7.4.5)



LocationInstall eye/face wash unit with-in 10 seconds of hazard andwith unobstructed travel path.(Section 7.4.4)

Water TemperatureWater delivered by eye/facewash shall be tepid (lukewarm).(Section 7.4.6)

TrainingInstruct all employees in thelocation and proper use ofeye/face washes.(Section 7.5.3)

Maintenance/InspectionTest eye/face wash at leastweekly. (Section 7.5.2)Inspect annually for compli-ance with standard.(Section 7.5.4)

Protect outlet heads fromairborne contaminants.(Section 5.1.3)

33–45"

This checklist is a summary of the provisions of ANSI Z358.1-1998 relating to emergency eye/face washes. Please refer to the standard for a complete listing of these provisions.

All Guardian eye/face wash units (except units with self-closingvalves) are third-party certified to meet or exceed the require-ments of ANSI Z358.1-1998.



Eye Washes

Controlled, low velocityflow rinses both eyes and

is not injurious to user. (Section 5.1.1)

Outlet heads shall bepositioned between

33" (83.8 cm) and 45"(114.3 cm) from the floorand at least 6" (15.3 cm)

from the wall or nearestobstruction. (Section 5.4.1)

Unit must be capable ofdelivering 0.4 gallons

(1.5 liters) of water perminute for 15 minutes.

(Section 5.1.5)

Valve actuator shall belarge enough to be easilylocated and operated by user. (Section 5.2)


Connect unit touninterruptible watersupply with at least 30 PSI flow pressure.(Section 5.4.2)

IdentificationIdentify eye wash withhighly visible sign. Areaaround eye wash shall bewell lighted.(Section 5.4.5)


EMERGENCYEYE WASH

LocationInstall eye wash unit within 10seconds of hazard and withunobstructed travel path.(Section 5.4.4)

Water TemperatureWater delivered by eye washshall be tepid (lukewarm).(Section 5.4.6)

TrainingInstruct all employees in thelocation and proper use of eyewashes. (Section 5.5.3)

Maintenance/InspectionTest eye wash at least weekly.(Section 5.5.2) Inspectannually for compliance withstandard. (Section 5.5.4)

33–45"

Use Guardian test gaugeto test water flow.

This checklist is a summary of the provisions of ANSI Z358.1-1998 relating to emergency eye washes. Please refer to the standard for a complete listing of these provisions.

All Guardian eye wash units (except units with self-closingvalves) are third-party certified to meet or exceed the require-ments of ANSI Z358.1-1998.





ANSI Standard Z358.1-1998 states that drench hose units maysupplement, but may not be used in place of, dedicated eye washunits. Guardian offers a series of units which meet the require-ments for both an eye wash and a drench hose. These dualpurpose units can be used to combine an eye wash and a drenchhose into a single versatile, economic unit.

To use the unit as a fixed eye wash, simply leave the unit in theholder. The dual spray heads will deliver water to both eyes simul-taneously. To function as a drench hose, remove the unit from theholder and rinse any part of the eyes, face or body.

These units are particularly useful in areas such as laboratorieswhere workers are handling small quantities of injurious materials.However, if a spill does occur, it can affect any part of the worker’seyes, face or body. Eye wash/drench hose units offer a degree ofversatility not found with other types of emergency equipment.

This checklist summarizes the provisions of ANSI Z358.1-1998 forboth eye washes and drench hoses. Please refer to the standardfor a complete listing of these provisions.

All Guardian eye wash/drench hose units are third-party certi-fied to meet or exceed the requirements of ANSI Z358.1-1998.

Eye Wash/Drench Hose Units

Valve actuator shall beeasily located and

operated by the user.(Sections 5.2 and 8.2)

Outlet heads shall be posi-tioned between 33" (83.8cm) and 45" (114.3 cm)

from the floor and at least6" (15.3 cm) from the wall

or nearest obstruction. (Section 5.4.1)

Controlled, low velocityflow rinses both eyes and

is not injurious to user.(Sections 5.1.1 and 8.1)

Valve shall go from “off”to “on” in one second orless and remain activateduntil intentionally shut off.(Sections 5.2 and 8.2)

Connect unit touninterruptible watersupply with at least 30 PSI flow pressure.(Section 5.4.2)

Unit must deliver at least3.0 gallons (11.4 liters) ofwater per minute for 15minutes. (Sections 5.1.5and 8.1)

EMERGENCYEYE WASH/

DRENCH HOSE

LocationInstall eye wash/drench hoseunit within 10 seconds ofhazard and with unobstructedtravel path. (Section 5.4.4)

Water TemperatureWater delivered by eyewash/drench hose unitsshall be tepid (lukewarm).(Sections 5.4.6 and 8.4.4)

TrainingInstruct all employees in thelocation and proper use ofeye wash/drench hose units.(Sections 5.5.3 and 8.5.3)

Maintenance/InspectionTest eye wash/drench hose units at leastweekly. (Sections 5.5.2 and 8.5.2)Inspect annually for compliance withstandard. (Sections 5.5.4 and 8.5.4)




IdentificationIdentify eye wash/drenchhose unit with highly visi-ble sign. Area around unit

shall be well lighted.(Sections 5.4 and 8.4)


Under ANSI Z358.1-1998, hand held drench hose units supportemergency eye wash and shower stations, but cannot replacethem. In other words, drench hoses are intended solely as supple-mental units providing additional protection to workers. Drenchhoses are useful in cases where the user is in a prone position orto reach areas of the face and body inaccessible to the fixedstream of a shower or eye wash unit. They are also advantageous

in areas such as laboratories where they can be installed close towhere accidents might occur.

This checklist summarizes the provisions of ANSI Z358.1-1998relating to drench hoses. Please refer to the standard for a com-plete listing of these provisions.

All Guardian drench hose units are third-party certified to meetor exceed the requirements of ANSI Z358.1-1998.

Drench Hose Units

ANSI Compliance Checklist

Drench hose unit supple-ments shower and eye

wash units installed in vicinity. (Section 8.1)

Valve actuator shall beeasily located and

operated by the user. (Section 8.2)

Controlled, low velocityflow is not injurious

to user. (Section 8.1)

Connect unit touninterruptible watersupply with at least 30 PSI flow pressure.(Section 8.3)

Unit must deliver at least3.0 gallons (11.4 liters) ofwater per minute. (Section 8.1)

Valve shall go from “off” to “on” in onesecond or less. (Section 8.2)

EMERGENCYDRENCH

HOSE

LocationInstall drench hose unit in areafree of debris or obstructions.(Section 8.4.3)

Water TemperatureWater delivered by drenchhose shall be tepid(lukewarm). (Section 8.4.4)

TrainingInstruct all employees in thelocation and proper use ofdrench hoses.(Section 5.5.3)

Maintenance/InspectionTest drench hoses at leastweekly. (Section 8.5.2)Inspect annually for compli-ance with standard.(Section 8.5.4)


IdentificationIdentify drench hose unit

with highly visible sign.Area around drench hose

shall be well lighted.(Section 8.4.3)



This checklist is a summary of the provisions of ANSI Z358.1-1998 relating to eye or eye/face wash and shower combinationstations. Please refer to the standard for a complete listing of theseprovisions.

All Guardian safety stations (except units with self-closingvalves) are third-party certified to meet or exceed the require-ments of ANSI Z358.1-1998.

Safety Stations

ANSI Compliance Checklist

Shower must provide at least 20gallons (75.7 liters) of water per

minute. (Section 4.1)

Shower head must be between 82" (208.3 cm) and

96" (248.3 cm) above floorsurface. (Section 4.1)

At 60" (152.4 cm)above floorsurface, the water pattern must

be at least 20" (50.8 cm) indiameter. (Section 4.1)

Eye wash must deliver at least0.4 gallons (1.5 liters) of water

per minute. (Section 5.1.5)Eye/face wash must deliver at

least 3.0 gallons (11.4 liters) ofwater per minute. (Section 7.1.4)

Protect outlet heads fromairborne contaminants.

(Section 5.1.3)

“Hands-free” stay-open valveactivates in one second or less.(Section 4.2)

Easily located, accessibleactuator must be no higher than69" (173.3 cm) above floor.(Section 4.3)

Outlet heads shall be positionedbetween 33" (83.8 cm) and 45"(114.3 cm) from the floor.(Section 5.4)

“Hands-free” stay-open valveactivates in one second or less.(Section 5.2)

Eye wash valve actuator shall beeasily located and operated byuser. (Section 5.2)

SAFETYSTATION

LocationInstall safety station within 10seconds of hazard and withunobstructed travel path.(Section 9.4.1)

Water TemperatureWater delivered by safetystation shall be tepid(lukewarm). (Section 9.4.5)

TrainingInstruct all employees in thelocation and proper use ofsafety station.(Section 9.5.3)

Maintenance/InspectionTest safety station at leastweekly. (Section 9.5.2)Inspect annually for compli-ance with standard. (Section 9.5.4)

IdentificationIdentify safety station with highlyvisible sign. Area around safetystation shall be well lighted. (Section 9.4.1)




10 © 1999 / WaterSaver Faucet Co.

Barrier-Free EquipmentThe Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that employersprovide accessible workplaces for all employees. These work-places may therefore require emergency eye wash and showerequipment which is specially constructed to provide access tohandicapped persons.

Barrier-free emergency equipment must comply with the require-ments of ANSI 117.1-1992 (“Accessible and Usable Buildings andFacilities”). These requirements include dimensions for minimumknee clearance, maximum height and reach, and minimum dis-tance from obstructions.

Guardian offers an array of eye wash and shower units designedfor barrier-free applications. These units meet the provisions ofANSI Z358.1-1998 for emergency equipment and the provisions ofANSI A117.1-1992 for accessibility. The provisions of ANSIZ358.1-1998 are summarized on pages 2-9. The additionalprovisions of ANSI A117.1-1992 for accessibility are shownbelow. Please refer to these standards for a complete descriptionof these provisions.



GS-Plus and FS-Plus spray headsdeliver water in a soft, wide spray ratherthan a solid, narrow stream. The userreceives more water over a wider areathan with any other type of outlet head.In an emergency, contaminants arerinsed away quickly, gently and com-pletely.

These heads incorporate a variety ofunique and important features:

• “Flip Top” Dust Cover. Each outlethead is protected against dust anddirt by a “flip top” cover. Water flowswings the cover off the head. Thecover is permanently attached to the spray head by a stain-less steel pin; the cover cannot be removed or lost. The covernests into the top of the outlet head, assuring that the coveralways stays on the head when the unit is not in use. Anoptional stainless steel cover is also available.

• Consistent, Balanced Flow. An engineered flow control locat-ed inside the spray head is calibrated to deliver 1.8 (GS-Plus)or 3.2 (FS-Plus) gallons per minute, at pressures from 20 to

100 PSI. The flow is consistent,regardless of line pressure. Sinceeach head contains an individualflow control, the flow is evenly bal-anced between the heads.

• Filtered Water. Each spray headcontains an internal filter to removeparticles and debris from the waterflow. During rinsing, the user’s eyesand face are protected against anyforeign matter which may be in thewater or the plumbing lines.

• Durability. The body and spraycover are molded from toughimpact- and corrosion-resistant

Polypropylene. The dust cover is molded nylon. They willstand up to even the harshest laboratory environments.

• Ease of Maintenance. Water often contains dissolved miner-als and foreign matter which over time can clog up any outlethead. The GS-Plus and FS-Plus spray heads are designed sothat all working components are contained in the head itself.All components are readily accessible for cleaning and main-tenance. The unit itself should never need disassembly.



Today’s safe workplaces demand advanced emergencyeye wash and shower equipment. Guardian Equipmentis proud to offer the most complete selection ofemergency equipment designed for industrial applica-tions. These products are characterized by enhanced

performance and superior durability.All Guardian eye wash, eye/face wash and safety

station units utilize the unique GS-Plus and FS-Plusspray heads. These spray heads represent a trulyimportant innovation in eye wash technology.

Engineered for today’s industrial environmentsGuardian Emergency Eye Wash and Shower Equipment:


Documents

ANSI Z358.1 Emergency Eye Wash and Shower Equipment