Emergency showers - your questions answered
You undoubtedly know it when you “have something in mind.” The eye immediately tries to rinse the foreign body by producing more tear fluid. However, our body's protective mechanism is limited. This is where emergency showers and professional eye washes come into play, which, based on the natural model, ensure adequate rinsing in an emergency. However, our practice shows that many will always question emergency showers. You will find the answers to this in the following suitable products, as usual, in the DENIOS online shop.
- What is an emergency shower?
- Are emergency showers required by law?
- Do risk assessments require emergency showers?
- Can I use a regular water source instead of an emergency shower?
- What should I consider when installing an emergency shower?
- What do employees need to know about emergency showers?
- What happens to the wastewater?
- How often do I have to maintain an emergency shower?
- How do you test the function of an emergency shower?
1. What is an emergency shower?
Wherever dangerous substances are used, there is always a risk of contamination for people. Hazardous liquids, dust, vapours, sparks, metal shavings and wood splinters can get in the eyes or on the skin and cause considerable damage.
Emergency showers are an essential facility for quick first aid. They enable the affected regions to be flushed immediately, helping to contain acute damage and avoid negative long-term consequences. It is also possible to put out clothes fires with an emergency shower. Body showers, eye showers, or eyewash bottles are used depending on the application area.
2. Are emergency showers required by law?
Emergency Showers & Eyewash Stations (ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2014)
Canadian occupational health and safety legislation requires employers to provide effective emergency flushing facilities wherever workers may be exposed to hazardous chemicals. While provincial and territorial regulations specify the need for “immediate,” “adequate,” or “appropriate” eyewash and drench systems, they typically do not define the technical performance criteria for these systems. As a result, most Canadian workplaces rely on ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2014 as the recognized benchmark standard.
ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2014 sets clear expectations for emergency showers, eyewash stations, and combination units, including the requirement to provide controlled flushing fluid for at least 15 minutes. Provincial inspectors and safety officers commonly reference this standard during audits because it represents current best practice for protecting workers.
How ANSI Applies in Canadian Workplaces
Although not a legal requirement, ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2014 is widely used across Canada as the standard of due diligence. It establishes minimum flow rates — 20 GPM for showers, 0.4 GPM for eyewash units, and 3.0 GPM for eye/face wash stations — along with requirements for immediate activation, proper location, and weekly testing. Canadian safety guidance from CCOHS reinforces the use of ANSI as the primary reference for selecting and maintaining compliant emergency equipment.
3. Do risk assessments require emergency showers?
It would be best to use a risk assessment to determine whether or not you need to install an emergency shower on your premises. You will need to assess whether hazardous substances on site pose a risk to skin or eyes and will, therefore, require immediate rinsing in an emergency.
Essential factors to consider when installing emergency showers, eyewash stations, and eyewash bottles are the number of units being installed, the design of the units and the positioning.
Safety data sheets
If hazardous substances are used in your company, the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is one of the most important sources of information for risk assessment. A safety data sheet is not a risk assessment. You should use the information it contains to help make your assessment.
4. Can I use a regular water source instead of an emergency shower?
No. In Canada, provincial and territorial OHS laws require employers to provide “adequate,” “appropriate,” or “immediate” emergency flushing facilities wherever workers may be exposed to hazardous chemicals. While the regulations do not specify performance criteria, Canadian safety authorities — including CCOHS — reference ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2014 as the accepted benchmark. Regular sinks, hoses, or showers cannot provide the 20 GPM flow rate, tepid water temperature, immediate activation, or full-body drenching required for effective chemical decontamination.
Because inspectors and safety officers typically use ANSI/ISEA Z358.1 to evaluate compliance and due diligence, a standard water source would not meet the expectations for protecting workers in an emergency. To ensure safety and regulatory alignment, workplaces must use a certified emergency shower or an ANSI-compliant portable unit designed for rapid, full-body flushing.
5. What should I consider when installing an emergency shower?
Positioning
As a general rule, workers must be able to get to an emergency shower within 10 seconds of exposure to hazardous substances. In the case of hazardous substances, they may need to access them in even less time (depending on your risk assessment). There are certain chemicals that guidelines recommend require access to emergency rinsing facilities in 5 seconds.
Accessibility
Emergency rinsing facilities - it's crucial that nothing blocks access to the emergency facilities. Floor markings are a good way of ensuring that access to emergency showers and eyewash stations remains unobstructed. It's also important not to force people to climb stairs, ramps or open doors when attempting to access emergency showers and eyewash stations. Place emergency showers on the same level as the source of potential danger, avoiding all barriers such as doors and gates.
Visibility
Emergency showers must be easily identified and visible at all times. To achieve this, clearly mark the area around the emergency shower with appropriate signage: "emergency shower" or "eyewash."
6. What do employees need to know about emergency showers?
When should I use an emergency shower?
Inform your employees about any possible dangers in the workplace and explain the necessary first aid measures. All employees need to know under which situations an immediate rinse is required. The operating instructions for the emergency shower will form part of the risk assessment.
Where are the company emergency showers located?
In an emergency, speed is essential. Employees must know exactly where the emergency showers and eye rinsing are located in an emergency.
How do I operate the emergency shower?
Employees must know how to operate the emergency shower in an emergency. Although emergency showers are designed to be as easy to use as possible, the trigger mechanism can vary on different models. A drawbar usually triggers body showers. There are other options for eyewash stations, such as pressure plates or a valve lever. Eyewash bottles release the rinsing liquid by manually squeezing the bottle body.
Our tip: To ensure worker safety, extensive training on emergency equipment is vital.
7. What happens to the wastewater?
Proper disposal of any contaminated water must be considered when installing new equipment. Drainage, freezing temperatures and pollutants should all be considered in advance. We recommend that you consult with your Local Authority, Water provider or Environment Agency for additional guidance on your site's correct wastewater disposal method.
8. How often do I have to maintain an emergency shower?
For both emergency body showers and eyewash stations, best practice requires that they are checked annually by an expert. In addition, a functional check by the user should be carried out each month. For eyewash stations, a weekly check may be advised to keep the risk of contamination to an absolute minimum.
9. How do you test the function of an emergency shower?
A regular check of the emergency shower is needed to ensure it is operational in an emergency. Regular actuation will also aid in keeping the valve working efficiently. Frequent water changes will also prevent contamination of the water pipe. During the functional test, assess the volume flow, the shower head's water distribution, and the water quality. We recommend using an emergency shower test unit for optimal results and ease of use.
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