Latest Specifications for Eye Washers

Does your company's eyewash washer comply with the latest standards?

On July 1, 2020, my country's first national standard for eyewash devices GB/T 38144.1-2019 "Eye and face protection emergency spray and eyewash equipment Part 1: Technical requirements" and GB/T 38144.2-2019 "Eye and face protection emergency spray And Eyewash Equipment Part 2: Guidelines for Use was officially promulgated. The promulgation of this standard is also very important for eyewash factories.The terms and definitions involved in the standard, today focus on sharing several key technical requirements in the standard:

Water flow rate and water height and width of eye/face wash nozzle

When the eyewash device installed by the enterprise only has the function of washing the eyes, after the eyewash device is started, the washing liquid should be sprayed out automatically within 1s or less. The continuous use time shall not be less than 15min, and the flushing fluid flow rate shall be at least 1.5L/min.

When the eyewash nozzle has the function of washing eyes/face at the same time, the flow of eyewash should be at least 11.4L/min, and last for no less than 15min.

Use a standard eyewash water flow style ruler to measure the height and width of the eyewash water column. It is required that the edge width of the water column above the eyewash nozzle less than 200mm should be between the minimum 32mm and the maximum 82.5mm.

Water flow and width of sprinkler

When the sprinkler is started, the flushing liquid should be sprayed out automatically within 1s or less. The sprayer should provide flushing liquid at a flow rate of at least 76L/min, and keep flushing continuously for at least 15 minutes.

The height of the spray head should be between 2,080mm~2,440mm. At a distance of 1,520mm from the user's standing plane, the minimum diameter of the spray area should be 510mm, and the rinsing liquid dispersion should always be consistent and fully dispersed.

The area layout of the eyewash

Emergency spraying and eyewashing equipment should be installed in an area that the operator can reach within 10s (generally, when a person walks at a normal pace, an average of 15m can be walked in 10s).

The eyewash should be installed on the same plane in the area where danger may occur, while avoiding obstacles in the route to the equipment should be considered.

Rinsing fluid temperature

The suitable temperature range of the flushing fluid at the water inlet of emergency spray and eyewash equipment is 16ºC～38ºC. Although flushing fluid with a temperature lower than 16ºC can immediately slow down the chemical reaction speed, prolonged exposure to cold fluid will affect the body temperature required by the human body and cause premature interruption of emergency treatment.

alarm system

The alarm device is suitable for some areas with few people or remote areas, and can promptly report to the relevant security department for rescue.

Maintenance and personnel training

It is recommended that the emergency spray and eyewash equipment be operated, inspected, maintained and recorded at least once a week.

If parts are found damaged during maintenance, they should be replaced in time. If necessary, it is recommended to replace the equipment.

For employees who may be exposed to hazardous materials, the most important thing is to ensure that they master the location and correct use of emergency spray and eyewash equipment. Before the equipment is installed and put into use, it is very important to conduct first aid training for employees. After that, first aid training should be conducted every six months.