FACTS

Common causes for emergency showers and eyewashes malfunction

1. Improperly installed or missing dust covers.
2. Lack of proper signage on the equipment or lack of acceptable lighting.
3. Providing the improper equipment for the application.
4. Obstructions in the path of travel to a shower and/or eyewash.
5. Incorrect placement or assembly could result in an inadequate emergency response.
6. Parts of a unit, such as the pull rod or push flag, in a dysfunctional, non-usable state.
7. Lack of flow control to the eye or eye/face wash including erratic, inconsistent or unpredictable water flow.
8. With not enough water pressure or flow, the eye, eye/face wash and/or shower can be considered unusable and may not provide proper flushing capabilities to a user.
9. The eyewash is not capable of providing flushing fluid to both eyes simultaneously.
10. Many times, the showerhead is not in alignment with the eye or eye/face wash and vice versa.
11. The most common reason for non-compliance is the inability of the equipment to maintain required flow rates when both the shower and the eye/face wash are activated at the same time.

STATS

• The need for emergency eyewash and shower devices is real. 15,110 U.S. workers were afflicted by chemical exposures in 2010, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
• Recent research has shown that, on average, up to 78% of emergency showers and eyewash equipment in the typical facility is not working correctly and is non-compliant, but most importantly, not capable of providing proper first aid.
• A study reported that when an emergency rinsing station is used, deep-tissue burns from acids are reduced from 63 % to 12.5 %. The number of days in the hospital reduce from 20.5 to 7.5.
• Non-compliance with emergency eyewash safety standards is a serious issue in today´s workplace. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), this lack of compliance contributes to a reported 2,000 injured U.S. workers each day. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that eye injuries lead to 37,000 missed days of work and more than $300 million per year in related costs.