Emergency eyewash stations

Safety equipment for the office

An eyewash station is required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as safety equipment for the office. It must be easily accessible, labeled, and attached to a "dedicated cold water source."

Use a dedicated cold water source

A "dedicated cold water source" means that only cold water is plumbed to the eyewash station. Many offices have the eyewash station connected to a faucet in a sink. Turning off the hot water supply under the sink does not qualify as dedicated, since the supply could be accidentally or erroneously turned back on. Although many professional buildings claim not to have any hot water, this still does not qualify as a dedicated cold water source. One way to meet the requirement is to turn off the hot water supply under the sink, and then remove the supply tube from the hot water valve to the faucet. This then qualifies as a dedicated cold water source.

Eyewash stations must be capable of producing a stream of cold water for several minutes. Eye flushing devices that are commonly found at a pharmacy or any liquid other than water, such as eyedrops, do not meet OSHA requirements for an eyewash station. Sterile saline eyewashes are also not acceptable since it is possible that the saline might react with whatever is being flushed out of the eye.