How to Use an Eyewash Station

"When a chemical or irritant enters your eyes, knowing how to properly flush them can save your sight."

Select Safety Sales

Go Immediately to the Eyewash Station – Don’t Waste A Second!

If a chemical splashes in your eyes, time is of the essence.  GO immediately to the eyewash station which should be located within 10 seconds walking distance from you if you work with caustic chemicals.
 

Push the Lever to Activate the Unit

Push the lever- An ANSI compliant unit will activate with one single motion.  The dust covers will pop off and the flushing fluid will begin to flow out from the faucet heads.


Begin to Flush

Get your eyes directly in the stream of the flushing fluid- Immediately!


Hold Your Eyes Open with Your Fingers

An ANSI compliant unit will be hands free so that you do not have to hold the lever open.   Once activated, the unit will stay on.   Keep your eyes open by holding your eyelids apart with your fingers.
 

Roll Your Eyes

Gently roll your eyes from left to right and up and down to be sure that the fluid is flushing all of the areas of your eye.
 

Flush for a Full Fifteen Minutes

Continue Flushing your eyes for a full 15 minutes.  The temperature in an ANSI compliant eyewash will be between 60 and 100 degrees fahrenheit so that you will comfortably be able to continue flushing for the entire period of time.  This is important because you want to fully dilute the chemical and wash it out of your eyes.  Any time less than 15 minutes is NOT enough time to accomplish this.


Take Out Your Contacts

If you have contact lenses in your eyes, you can gently take them out while you are flushing. Don’t delay the flushing to take out your lenses but make sure that you take them out because they could trap the chemical in your eyes.


Seek Medical Help

After you have flushed, see a doctor to determine if anything more needs to be done for the preservation of your vision.

Shop for Eyewash Stations or Learn More

---

 The information on this page is an original copyrighted article. We welcome you to link this page from your website. However, copying this article in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. 
 
Disclaimer: We have provided this article as general information on the use of this article.  We make no claims as to the accuracy or completeness of the information as it may apply to an infinite amount of conditions and situations.  It is the responsibility of the person or persons reading and using this information to refer to the instructions and information provided by the manufacturer in the product package before testing or using this product.  Users of this information agree to hold Select Safety Sales LLC harmless from liability of any kind relating to the use of this information.