The Good, The Bad, The OSHA Safety Shower Inspection
In many industries OSHA will perform a safety shower inspection on your company. In 1970, Congress established the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), an agency of the United States Department of Labor. Their mission: to “assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.”
OSHA strives to prevent workplace illnesses, injuries and even death. They do this through scrupulous and meticulous inspections of business and facilities; doing everything from touring the facility (or business) to conducting private interviews with employees. Though their mission is well-intentioned and important, they often get a bad rap. They are known to bring hefty fines to business and even close facilities when protocol and safety standards are not met- Last August, OSHA proposed a fine of $115K for Solvay Specialty Polymers USA, a South Jersey chemical facility, for exposing workers to flammable gas, failing to inspect and test process equipment, and failing to review operating procedures to comply with current operating practices. Fines like these are detrimental to a business and can cause a multitude of issues for employers in the future.
Last year, “4,821 workers were killed on the job, that’s on average, more than 92 a week or more than 13 deaths every day.” While workplace related deaths have significantly declined since OSHAs formation, their presence has not. OSHA does not give warning before conducting an inspection of a facility, they can show up at any time and begin their evaluation of your business. Thus, it is extremely important to be prepared and proactive to be successful in any OSHA inspection.
OSHA: Knock, Knock, Knocking at Your Door
The reality of OSHA showing up unexpectedly is a looming thought over many employer’s heads. Their ability to disrupt and determine the fate of a company is not something to be taken lightly. Therefore, it is important to be prepared and proactive.
Preparation for an OSHA safety shower inspection can come in many forms; employees can be trained, records gathered, self-audits conducted, protocol written-all things which can properly prepare you to succeed. However, there is one thing that often gets over looked when it comes to the safety and wellness of your employees, and that is proper-and updated-safety equipment in case of an emergency.
For businesses, whose employees face possible risks of contamination, specialized safety equipment is required. This equipment includes, but is not limited to, safety showers, eye-washes and proper first aid kits that can take care of post-contamination burns and other injuries.
To be prepared for a Safety Shower Inspection, employers must take a proactive approach and regularly check and understand the standards required for each piece of safety equipment to ensure that they are fully compliant.
Feeling ANSI
OSHA regulation 29 CFR 1910.151© specifies “where the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials, suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body shall be provided within the work area for immediate emergency use.” While this sounds simple enough, OSHA furthered their reach by incorporating reference to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to narrow and standardize the requirements for safety equipment. While ANSI standards are voluntary-employers often turn to ANSI so that they can be 100% certain that they comply. ANSI Z358. 1-2014 gives employers guidance for standardizing emergency eyewashes and shower equipment, it also helps users “select and install proper emergency equipment.”
Safety equipment, such as emergency showers and eyewashes often go unused. While there is always the threat of an accident happening, for the most part, these pieces of equipment sit quietly in the background waiting for disaster to strike. When that accident does happen however, it is important that the device functions properly, or deadly consequences could result.
Being proactive with your safety equipment is important, you must test these devices regularly to ensure they can function, “studies show that the seconds immediately following an eye injury or chemical splash are often critical to minimizing damage.” These seconds are priceless to your employees, and having improper functioning equipment will not only hinder their recovery-but significantly reduce their trust in you (and could result in them filing a complaint with OSHA).
In 2014, ANSI updated their standards for safety showers and eyewashes, these requirements added might be effecting the showers that many facilities currently have, rendering their equipment out of date and thus-non-compliant.
Surviving the Inspection
To survive a safety shower inspection and to make sure your shower is ANSI certified- you must test your emergency products each year. Some helpful tips to compliance include: 1. The pathway to the equipment must be clear of obstructions 2. Equipment must be protected against freezing 3. User must be protected from scalding water. These are just some of the many things that OSHA will check for durning a safety shower inspection. To make sure that each of these requirements is completed, creating a yearly/monthly checklist is an excellent way to keep records and ensure that issues get fixed.
Another way to survive an OSHA safety shower inspection is to train your employees on how to properly use the safety showers and eyewashes. This will not only allow employees to be comfortable with using the equipment but will teach them how to properly take care of it so that it can stay in good-working condition.
Additionally, it is important to stay updated on ANSI standards. The ANSI website provides a beautiful document which includes a complete checklist so that anyone can feel confident, informed and knowledgeable about the equipment that will be used.
If each of these things are performed, and employers are prepared and stay proactive, they should have no problem passing the safety shower portion of an OSHA inspection.
Don’t Stress, Look to ATS
It’s no secret that OSHA inspections are stressful, there are a lot of elements that go into being prepared, compliant and successful. Understanding how to do so takes work, research and time. The safety-equipment aspect of an OSHA inspection is no different. Safety Showers and eyewashes are complicated pieces of equipment that are essential to industries where contamination may be a risk. Understanding the inner workings for these products to proper functionally takes time, that’s why turning to industry experts can be beneficial to any employer.
ATS, is an industry expert when it comes to understanding safety showers and eye washes. They help customers in heavy industries like oil and gas, chemicals, manufacturing, utilities and others align, improve, and implement their safety programs.
ATS works directly with safety management professional and engineers to provide safety solutions that often fall outside the box of typical safety shower product lines. ATS not only provides guidance on any employer’s current safety showers, but they also offer solutions that replace existing equipment that is not compliant.
If you, your employer, or company, is feeling stressed, confused or worried about adhering to OSHA and ANSI standards, ATS would love to help you prepare for a safety shower inspection. Our industry experts know that employees are a company’s greatest assets, and that a safe work-environment is the best environment.
Feel free to contact us about any safety shower/ eyewash related questions. We want you to succeed when OSHA comes knocking.
