ANSI/ISEA Standards for Safety Eye Wash Stations & Safety Showers

Eye wash stations in the U.S. are covered by The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) regulations and the Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA) standards.

American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/ International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA)

• The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) have a shared standard for eyewash and safety shower facilities. The version produced for 2009, is ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2009. The standard covers such parameters as flow rates, temperature and drenching patterns.

Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA)

• The OSHA standards 29 CFR 1910 (Occupational Safety and Health Standards) and 29 CFR 1926 (Safety and Health Regulations for Construction) also cover eyewash stations. OSHA lays down standards, overlapping with the ANSI/ISEA standards, such as water temperature, flow rate and inspection requirement.

Standard

• Safety eye showers standards are necessary to ensure that any eye contamination can be washed out as quickly and safely as possible at a station near to where the incident happened. Eye washes need to have a sufficient supply of clean water to ensure a thorough rinsing, and inspections need to happen to ensure the station is in working condition when an emergency arises.