Emergency showers - your questions answered

You undoubtedly know it when you “have something in mind.” The eye immediately tries to rinse the foreign body by producing more tear fluid. However, our body's protective mechanism is limited. This is where emergency showers and professional eye wash stations come into play, which, based on the natural model, ensure adequate rinsing in an emergency. However, our practice shows that there are always questions about emergency showers. You will find the answers to this in the following suitable products, as usual, in the DENIOS online shop.

Table of contents

What is an emergency shower?
Are emergency showers required by law?
Do risk assessments require emergency showers?
Can I use a regular water source instead of an emergency shower?
What should I consider when installing an emergency shower?
What do employees need to know about emergency showers?
What happens to the wastewater?
How often do I have to maintain an emergency shower?
How do you test the function of an emergency shower?

1. What is an emergency shower?

Wherever dangerous substances are used, there is always a risk of contamination for people. Hazardous liquids, dust, vapors, sparks, metal shavings, and wood splinters can get in the eyes or on the skin and cause considerable damage.

Emergency showers are an essential facility for quick first aid. They enable the affected regions to be flushed immediately, helping to contain acute damage and avoid negative long-term consequences. It is also possible to put out clothes fires with an emergency shower. Body showers, eye showers, or eyewash bottles are used depending on the application area.

2. Are emergency showers required by law?

a scientist using a microscope in a laboratory

Emergency Showers & Eyewash Stations (ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2014)

Emergency showers and eyewash stations play a critical role in protecting workers from hazardous chemical exposure. In the United States, the primary industry standard governing their design, performance, installation, and maintenance is ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2014. This standard establishes the minimum requirements needed to ensure that emergency equipment functions properly during an incident.

ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2014 requires emergency showers, eyewash stations, and combination units to deliver controlled flushing fluid for at least 15 minutes, activate within one second, and be located within 10 seconds of potential hazards. OSHA references ANSI/ISEA Z358.1 as the accepted guideline for determining whether employers have provided “suitable” flushing facilities under 29 CFR 1910.151(c).

a worker using an eye wash station to flush out his eyes

Key Performance Requirements

The standard outlines strict performance criteria: emergency showers must provide 20 GPM, eyewash units must deliver 0.4 GPM, and eye/face wash stations must deliver 3.0 GPM—each for a full 15 minutes. Equipment must be hands-free once activated, tested weekly, and inspected annually to ensure compliance. For further details, visit the ANSI and OSHA websites for more information.

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3. Do risk assessments require emergency showers?

It would be best to use a risk assessment to determine whether or not you need to install an emergency shower on your premises. You will need to assess whether there are hazardous substances on site that pose a risk to skin or eyes and will, therefore, require immediate rinsing in an emergency.

Essential factors to consider when installing emergency showers, eyewash stations, and bottles are the number of units being installed, the design of the teams, and the positioning.

Safety data sheets
If hazardous substances are used in your company, the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is one of the most important sources of information for risk assessment. A safety data sheet is not a risk assessment. You should use the information it contains to help make your assessment.

4. Can I use a regular water source instead of an emergency shower?

No. A regular sink, faucet, or hose does not meet the requirements of ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2014, which is the industry standard recognized in the United States. An approved emergency shower must provide a controlled flow of 20 gallons per minute, activate in one second or less, deliver tepid water (60–100°F), and provide a continuous 15-minute flow. These features are essential for safely removing hazardous chemicals from the skin and preventing further injury.

OSHA requires employers to provide “suitable” flushing facilities under 29 CFR 1910.151(c), and OSHA uses ANSI/ISEA Z358.1 standards to determine whether equipment is compliant. Because standard water sources cannot meet the flow, coverage, activation, or temperature requirements, they are not considered suitable and do not satisfy OSHA expectations or safety best practices.

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5. What should I consider when installing an emergency shower?

As a general rule, workers must be able to get to an emergency shower within 10 seconds of exposure to hazardous substances. In the case of dangerous substances, they may need to access them in even less time (depending on your risk assessment). There are certain chemicals that guidelines recommend require access to emergency rinsing facilities in 5 seconds.

Emergency rinsing facilities - it's crucial that nothing blocks access to the emergency facilities. Floor markings are a good way of ensuring that access to emergency showers and eyewash stations remains unobstructed. It's also important not to force people to climb stairs, ramps, or open doors when attempting to access emergency showers and eyewash stations. Place emergency showers on the same level as the source of potential danger, avoiding all barriers such as doors and gates.

Emergency showers must be easily identified and visible at all times. To achieve this, clearly mark the area around the emergency shower with appropriate signage: "emergency shower" or "eyewash."

6. What do employees need to know about emergency showers?

When should I use an emergency shower?
Inform your employees about any possible dangers in the workplace and explain the necessary first aid measures. All employees need to know under which situations an immediate rinse is required. The operating instructions for the emergency shower will form part of the risk assessment.

Where are the company emergency showers located?
In an emergency, speed is essential. Employees must know exactly where the emergency showers and eye rinsing are in a crisis.

How do I operate the emergency shower?
Employees must know how to operate the emergency shower in an emergency. Although emergency showers are designed to be as easy to use as possible, the trigger mechanism can vary on different models. Body showers are usually triggered by a drawbar. There are other options for eyewash stations, such as pressure plates or a valve lever. Eyewash bottles release the rinsing liquid by manually squeezing the bottle body.

Our tip: To ensure worker safety, extensive training on emergency equipment is vital.

7. What happens to the wastewater?

Proper disposal of any contaminated water must be considered when installing new equipment. Drainage, freezing temperatures, and pollutants should all be considered in advance. We recommend that you consult with your Local Authority, Water provider, or Environment Agency for additional guidance on the correct wastewater disposal method for your site.

8. How often do I have to maintain an emergency shower?

For both emergency body showers and eyewash stations, best practice requires that they are checked annually by an expert. In addition, a functional check by the user should be carried out each month. For eyewash stations, a weekly review may be advised to keep the risk of contamination to an absolute minimum.

9. How do you test the function of an emergency shower?

A regular check of the emergency shower is needed to ensure it is operational in an emergency. Regular actuation will also aid in keeping the valve working efficiently. Frequent water changes will also prevent contamination of the water pipe. During the functional test, assess the volume flow, the water distribution of the shower head, and the water quality. For optimal results and ease of use, we recommend using an emergency shower test unit.