In June 2016, a portable eyewash unit at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) failed when an employee attempted to use it during an emergency.
The eyewash nozzles, designed to produce immediate flushing fluid, did not activate. Thankfully, the employee was able to move to a nearby sink where he flushed his eyes and avoided a potential injury.
Following this incident, it was discovered that there were various deficiencies effecting nearly 200 identical portable eyewash units at ORNL.
Call to action
Please contact Steve Eagels at seagels@anl.gov or ext. 2-2993 with the brand, location and condition of any portable eyewash stations that you are aware of. This reporting will help Argonne conduct a complete inventory of eyewash units.
Important info
- All eyewash stations are required to deliver a minimum 15 minutes of flushing fluid upon activation. Because portable eyewash stations store a limited amount of fluid, they must be replaced any time the unit is used. Best practice is to test the flow of the unit right before changing out the replacement fluid to check the functionality and ensure optimal flow time.
- It is important to monitor the shelf life of the fluid contained inside the unit. The solution contains agents used to control bacterial growth — these agents will expire after a certain period of time. Best practice is to label each unit with the expiration date of the fluid and ensure they are replaced on time.
Print and share this information with your colleagues and/or staff. Beginning each meeting with a safety share is a great way to break the ice, begin team building from the onset of meetings and keep safety at the forefront of our minds.
All employees are encouraged to submit safety shares for inclusion in the Safety Share Library. Submission details are available on Inside Argonne.
Each month a safety share submitted by an individual will be selected by Environment, Safety and Quality Assurance to receive a Spot Award for demonstrated safety leadership. The Spot Award program offers three award levels: gold ($100), silver ($50) and bronze ($25).