Rectifiers for the Plating Industry
Published

OSHA Regulations Regarding Safety Showers and Eyewash Stations

It has been brought to my attention that our two safety showers and eyewash stations are in need of repair and/or replacement. It is my desire to provide the appropriate equipment, but I could use some help on determining what is required by OSHA. K.S.

Share

Q. I am an owner of a small plating shop with several small process lines that contain vats of corrosive materials such as cleaners, acids and process solutions. It has been brought to my attention that our two safety showers and eyewash stations are in need of repair and/or replacement. It is my desire to provide the appropriate equipment, but I could use some help on determining what is required by OSHA. K.S.

A. OSHA Regulation {29 CFR 1910.151(c)} states, “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.” Whether or not this criteria is met will be determined by the OSHA compliance officer. Some common compliance issues we have observed with safety shower/eyewash stations include:

Rusty high solids water when flushing; (safety shower/eyewash stations should be flushed at least monthly, if not more often, depending upon the work environment), • Safety showers/eyewash units in place, but not hooked up to the water supply,
• Eyewash basin utilized as a trash recep- tacle,
• Units not cleaned and kept free from debris,
• Units blocked by equipment or miscel- laneous parts on the floor, and
• Units not easily identified from a short distance away.

When it comes to defining the mechanical makeup of a properly installed system, OSHA refers to an industry recognized consensus standard ANSI (American National Standards Institute) Z358.1-2004. This consensus standard, just updated in 2004, specifies that a properly installed system must meet the following criteria:

• Placed within 10 seconds of a hazard
• Able to flush both eyes simultaneously
• Eyewash nozzles must be protected from airborne contaminants,
• Able to maintain a minimum flush- ing rate of 0.4 gpm (eyewash) and 20 gpm (shower) for 15 min
• Use “stay open” valves to keep hands free to hold eyelids open,
• Begin flushing within one second of activation
• Identify location with a highly visible sign
• Location is readily accessible and free of obstructions
• Equipment properly maintained,
• Employee training in use of equipment
• Provide flushing waters of “tepid” tem- peratures.

In order to supply at least 20 gpm, we have found that a 1.5-inch water supply line is usually sufficient with typical water system pressures, however, you should verify this with your plumbing contractor. If you find that your water supply is insufficient to provide that needed flow and the cost of a larger and/or an additional water supply is prohibitive, consider a “bladder” tank to act as a pressurized water reservoir to supply your safety showers.

In previous versions of the ANSI standard, “tepid” water temperatures were not defined. The 2004 version specifies that “tepid” water temperatures are no lower than 60°F and no higher than 100°F. Cold water temperatures could lead to hypothermia, while hot water temperatures can damage sensitive areas of the body, such as eyes. Additionally, hot water temperatures can intensify a chemical splash injury associated with corrosive materials.

Maintaining proper water temperature may be an issue depending upon your plant’s geographical location, water supply (groundwater or surface water), and the location of the shower/eyewash station within the facility. If water tempering is needed at a particular location this can be accomplished by the use of a “mix” valve which mixes hot and cold water in order to produce “tepid” water; if this is not feasible, you can install “instant” water chillers and heaters, however, these can be very expensive, particularly the “instant” water heaters with their very large electrical service. 

KCH Engineered Systems
Hitachi High-Tech FT200 series
In-Place Repairs for Canning Presses
Reduced Ion Electroless Nickel
Luster-On Products
FISCHERSCOPE® XAN® LIQUID ANALYZER
Rectifiers for the Plating Industry
Metal Pretreatment Technology
Pretreatment Washer and Finishing Equipment
PF Podcast
Heatmax Heaters ad with immersion heaters
find masking products online

Related Content

energy

NASF/AESF Foundation Research Project #122: Electrochemical Approaches to Treatment of PFAS in Plating Wastewater - 10th Quarterly Report

The NASF-AESF Foundation Research Board selected a project addressing the problem of PFAS and related chemicals in plating wastewater streams.  This report covers the 10th quarter of work (April-June 2023).  Here, we examine the effect of surface fluorination of Ti4O7 anodes on PFAS degradation performance in terms of energy performance as well as formation of chlorate and perchlorate when chloride is present in the solution.  The full paper on this work can be accessed and printed at short.pfonline.com/NASF24Feb2.

Read More
Parts Cleaning

Zinc Phosphate: Questions and Answers

Our experts share specific questions about zinc phosphate and pretreatment

Read More
nasf

NASF/AESF Foundation Research Project #122: Electrochemical Approaches to Treatment of PFAS in Plating Wastewater - 12th Quarterly Report

This NASF-AESF Foundation research project report covers the 12th quarter of project work (October – December 2023) at the University of Georgia. In our previous report, we described our work on performance and effect of surface fluorinated Ti4O7 anodes on PFAS degradation in reactive electrochemical membrane (REM) mode. This quarter, our experiments involved utilizing porous Ti4O7 plates serving both as anodes and membranes. Tests compared pristine and F-18.6 Ti4O7 anodes at current densities of 10 mA/cm2 and 40 mA/cm2. This 12th quarterly report discusses the mechanisms of the effects on EO performance by anode surface fluorination.  

Read More

Ultrafiltration Membranes, Filter Elements for Improved Industrial Water Reuse

Ultrafiltration membranes help with water reuse in a variety of applications.

Read More

Read Next

workforce development

Education Bringing Cleaning to Machining

Debuting new speakers and cleaning technology content during this half-day workshop co-located with IMTS 2024.

Read More
Sponsored

Delivering Increased Benefits to Greenhouse Films

Baystar's Borstar technology is helping customers deliver better, more reliable production methods to greenhouse agriculture.

Read More
sustainability

Episode 45: An Interview with Chandler Mancuso, MacDermid Envio Solutions

Chandler Mancuso, technical director with MacDermid Envio discusses updating your wastewater treatment system and implementing materials recycling solutions to increase efficiencies, control costs and reduce environmental impact.

Read More
Reduced Ion Electroless Nickel