Drench Shower Inspection Requirements
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) refers employers to The American National Standards Institute’s (ANSI) standard Z358.1 specifically to address minimum selection, installation, operation, and maintenance requirements for emergency drench shower units.
According to ANSI Z358.1-2014, emergency drench hose units are an ideal supplement to emergency eyewash and shower equipment, but may not be utilized as a replacement for that equipment. Therefore, drench hoses can only be used for additional protection. Common applications for drench hoses include when the user is in a prone position or accidents where it is necessary to reach parts of the body that are inaccessible to a fixed emergency eyewash/shower unit.
The following checklist is a summary of the provisions of ANSI Z358.1-2014 relating to drench hose units and can be used to support your facility inspections of that equipment:
Guardian G1635 Emergency Drench Shower, Vertically Mounted
Checklist:
- Inspection Frequency: Activate all shower units at least weekly (Section 8.2.4.2). Inspect all shower units annually for compliance with the ANSI Z358.1 standard (Section 8.2.4.5).
- Location: Drench hose units must be located in an area that is free from obstructions or debris (Section 8.2.3.2).
- Identification: The area around the drench hose station must be well-lit and the unit must include a highly visible sign (Section 8.2.3.2).
- Water Temperature: Tepid water (60-100°F) must be delivered to the shower (Section 4.5.6; B6).
- Hands-free stay-open valve activates in one second or less (Sections 8.2.2).
- The drench hose unit functions solely as a supplement to shower and eyewash equipment installed in the immediate vicinity (Section 8).
- Water flow from the drench hose unit is not injurious to the user (Section 8.2.1).
- The unit’s valve actuator is easily reasonable accessible and easy to locate for the user (Section 8.2.2).
- Hands-free stay-open valve activates in one second or less (Sections 8.2.2).
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