Eye Wash and Eye Wash Stations

An eye wash station flushes only the eyes and delivers at least 1.5 L/min (0.4 GPM). An eye/face wash station has larger spray heads that flush the eyes and face together at a minimum of 11.4 L/min (3.0 GPM), which is recommended where splashes may reach the whole face.

Use a self-contained gravity-fed unit such as the EGT 34 L tank wherever a plumbed potable water supply is not available, for example on construction sites, remote locations, temporary work areas and warehouses. It still provides a continuous 15-minute flush.

Saline bottles and kits are first-response equipment. They let a worker begin rinsing immediately at the point of risk, but they do not replace a station that provides a full 15-minute flush. Use them alongside a plumbed or gravity-fed eye wash station.

ANSI/ISEA Z358.1 requires the unit to be reachable in 10 seconds or less, roughly 16–17 metres, on the same level as the hazard and with an unobstructed path. For strong acids or caustics it should be immediately next to the hazard.

Flushing fluid should be tepid, generally 16–38°C. In the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, keep portable tanks indoors or shaded, insulate and shade supply lines to plumbed stations, and refill or replace fluid on a regular schedule.

Plumbed units should be activated weekly to flush the line. Self-contained units should be inspected regularly and their fluid changed according to the manufacturer's instructions, and every unit should be inspected annually.