How to Meet OSHA's Requirements for Eyewash Stations

Written by Staff Writer

A chemical splash is not the moment you want to discover the eyewash is blocked, shut off or barely flowing. In that first minute, people don’t think like they do during a routine walkthrough. They blink hard, stumble and reach for whatever is closest.

If you manage safety, facilities or compliance, your goal is simple. Make emergency flushing fast, obvious and reliable, so workers can respond immediately and you can document that your program holds up. It’s also an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) expectation in settings where workers could need immediate emergency flushing.

When Emergency Flushing Equipment Is Required

OSHA’s baseline rule is straightforward in 29 CFR 1910.151(c). If eyes or skin may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials, an employer must provide suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing within the work area for immediate emergency use. 

The tricky part is deciding what “may be exposed” means in your facility. Don’t only look at normal production. Look at the moments where things get unpredictable, which can include:

• Filling, decanting or sampling
• Hose connections and disconnects
• Changeouts, clogs, jams and maintenance
• Spill response and cleanup

If exposure is plausible during expected tasks, treat emergency flushing equipment as a core control. For a practical way to map your risks, start with your chemical inventory and job tasks, and use this guide on different types of chemical dangers and hazardous materials.

Why ANSI Standards Show Up in So Many Programs

OSHA’s standard sets the trigger, but it doesn’t list exact performance specs like flow rate or distance. In multiple interpretation letters, OSHA has said that equipment complying with requirements from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) would usually meet the intent of the OSHA rule. 

That’s why many safety managers use a two-part approach. OSHA answers the question, “Do we need emergency flushing here?” and ANSI Z358.1 helps answer, “What does good equipment placement, performance and upkeep look like?” See how they go together?

Picking the Right Setup for the Hazard

Not every exposure risk is the same. A battery charging area, a plating line and a lab bench each call for different decisions.

That is why most suitable facilities use a mix of emergency wash setups, chosen based on how exposure could occur and how severe it could be. Common scenarios that drive shower equipment decisions include:

• Eye splash hazards, where eyewash units are typically sufficient
• Face exposure risks, where eye and face wash units make more sense
• Full-body exposure potential, which calls for a combination of safety shower equipment and eyewash units
• Supplemental rinsing needs, where drench hoses can support, but not replace, fixed equipment
• Tasks covered by OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard — including HIV/HBV research laboratories, where an eyewash facility must be readily available — may also require rapid flushing and controlled response.
• Work areas with physical hazards, where pressure, height or moving equipment increase contact risk

After you choose the equipment, validate that it matches your real tasks. If workers are transferring liquids at shoulder height or opening pressurized lines, assume splash trajectories will be worse than the ideal conditions you see in a standard operating procedure.

Water Flow, Flush Duration and Temperature

Because 29 CFR 1910.151(c) doesn’t specify installation/performance details, many employers use ANSI Z358.1 as a recognized source of guidance, and OSHA may consider it when evaluating whether facilities are “suitable.” 

Under ANSI Z358.1, common performance criteria include a steady flow of tepid flushing fluid delivered at no less than 0.4 gallons per minute for 15 minutes, with single-motion activation and hands-free operation once started.

Why does tepid water matter? Because comfort affects behavior, and if the water is painfully cold or too hot, people stop flushing early. That is when eye injuries tend to worsen, so a plumbed shower delivering hot water can discourage full flushing and should be avoided in emergency response planning.

A smart facility-level check is to test emergency eyewash stations during temperature extremes. Cold winter mornings and hot afternoons often reveal problems that a mild midday test will miss.

Signage and “Findability”

The most common failure isn’t that the station doesn’t exist. It’s that a new hire can’t find it quickly.

Make the station obvious with clear signage and good lighting. While OSHA eyewash station requirements focus on providing suitable, readily accessible facilities, ANSI Z358.1 offers guidance on signage, lighting and visibility that supports effective emergency use. If your eyewash looks like just one more pipe on the wall, you’re relying on memory during a panic response.

Also, train supervisors to treat blocked access as a serious housekeeping issue, not a minor inconvenience. That mindset shift prevents repeat problems.

Inspection and Maintenance That Prevent Surprises

Emergency shower equipment is not something you install and forget. If eyewash units are neglected, they can become a hazard themselves: dirty lines, weak flow or water you would not want in your eyes.

Most programs that follow ANSI guidance rely on two things — regular activation and periodic inspection. The goal is simple: Will it work when it matters?

A simple weekly routine can include:

• Confirm clear access and visible signage
• Activate the unit and verify steady flow
• Confirm it stays on hands-free until shut off

Then log what you did and what you found. Documentation helps you spot patterns like recurring sediment and frequent accidental shutoffs.

Training is The Step That Makes Equipment Useful

Even the best equipment fails if workers hesitate or improvise first. Instead, safety training should build a reflex.

Workers should know where the nearest unit is, how to activate it fast and why full-duration flushing matters as part of an immediate first aid response. Supervisors should know how to support the response, secure the area and document the incident correctly.

This is also where Hazard Communication (HazCom) connects directly to emergency eyewash readiness. If labeling is unclear or SDS access is messy, workers lose time deciding what happened and what to do next. Review your program using this HazCom standard overview.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) plays a role here, too. PPE helps prevent exposure and emergency flushing helps limit harm when PPE fails or the situation overwhelms it. For a practical refresher, see what PPE is in the construction industry and how it can protect workers.

Training Options That Support Compliance Without Dragging Down Production

Eyewash readiness is part equipment, part habit and part training. If your workforce handles corrosives, responds to spills or operates in labs and industrial settings, your employee training plan should match your risk.

OSHA Education Center offers online safety training that helps teams learn clearly, train consistently and download proof of completion right away. Start with the full catalog at online safety training courses.

If your site includes hazardous waste operations or emergency response expectations, explore HAZWOPER training. For lab environments, lab safety training is a strong fit. If your team handles small, foreseeable releases, cleaning up small chemical spills training supports safer, more consistent responses.

The Next Right Step for Your Facility

If you want better eyewash readiness, don’t start by buying new hardware. Start by walking the work areas where corrosives are used, then test access, water flow and staff awareness.

Fix the obvious blockers, lock in a simple inspection routine and tighten training so workers respond quickly and confidently. When you pair reliable equipment with consistent online training and fast proof of completion, compliance becomes easier and injuries become less likely.