Notes From the field: “That squeeze bottle is your eyewash?”
Just as I was finishing up a mock OSHA inspection, I asked the manager where the eyewash was located.
She took me to a cabinet and pulled out a squeeze bottle. “Here it is,” she said.
I looked at her and asked how on earth she was going to tilt her head and squeeze that bottle for the required 15 minutes!
Squeeze-bottle type eyewashes are only to be used to support a plumbed unit. For example, if you splashed or sprayed a corrosive solution or body fluid into your eyes in an exam room, you could grab the squeeze bottle to start rinsing as you are walking/running to the plumbed eyewash station.
Eyewash specifications from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) require that:
- Eyewashes supply a controlled flow of tepid water to both eyes
- Eyewashes must deliver water at least .4 gallons per minute for 15 minutes at a minimum of 30 psi of flow pressure
- Eyewashes must be large enough to provide room for the eyelids to be held open with the hands while the eyes are in the stream of water
- The flow must remain on without the help of the operator’s hands and must stay on until intentionally shut off
- The valve that provides the water and the actual sink must be resistant to corrosion
The ANSI Standard Z358.1 also requires weekly checks of the eyewashes, making sure the water is tepid and that the water has a gentle flow. Run the water through for 3-4 minutes and document this testing on a log.
If you don’t have the log that came with the eyewash fixture, you can download one from the Tools page.
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Kathy Rooker
Kathy Rooker is the safety officer and owner of Columbus Healthcare & Safety Consultants, Canal Winchester, OH (krookerchsc@gmail.com or 614-833-9092). Rooker has more than 35 years experience working in the healthcare field and currently provides OSHA and CLIA consulting and inspections for physician practices and conducts OSHA annual training seminars in and around Central Ohio. In her "Notes from the Field" posts, she shares real life OSHA compliance issues and offers solutions to these sometimes complicated situations.
Kathy has written 19 posts.
Comments
OSHA states to flush eyes or mucouos membranes after blood exposure with clean water, saline, or sterile irrigants. Are you REQUIRED to provide healthcare workers with a squeeze bottle or can your plan just state to flush immediately with tap water?
OSHA does not specify the method of flushing the eyes after exposure to blood or OPIM. Obviously access to an emergency eyewash station–it’s required if you use hazardous chemicals such as glutaraldehyde–or dedicated squeeze bottles or personal eye irrigation sprays–the kind that EMTs use–would represent a best practices or proactive approach to protecting staff members in your practice. The instruction in your plan, however, to “flush immediately with tap water” would be OSHA compliant.
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