- Eye/Face Wash
An eye wash or face wash station is an emergency device used for the emergency treatment of a person who has been exposed to a chemical or other substance which may cause injuries. These stations are critical safety equipment required in workplaces where employees may be exposed to hazardous materials , such as "strong acid[s] or strong caustic[s]". The device is specifically designed to "deliver flushing fluid in sufficient volume to irrigate and flush both the face and the eyes simultaneously"
Australian Standard 4775-2007 (the Standard) provides separate definitions for eyewash and eye/face wash units as follows:
- Eyewash: A device specifically designed to deliver flushing fluid to "irrigate and flush the eyes".
- Eye/face wash: A device designed to deliver flushing fluid to "irrigate and flush both the face and the eyes simultaneously".
These devices can be plumbed in or be self-contained.
Plumbed vs. Self-Contained Units
These devices can be plumbed or self-contained. The primary difference between these two types of equipment is the source of the flushing fluid:
- Plumbed Units: These devices are permanently installed and connected to a "mains water supply". This is designed to provide an "uninterruptible flushing fluid supply" to the station.
- Self-Contained Units: These devices are not connected to a mains supply. Instead, they "contain... their own flushing fluid". Because the fluid is stored within the unit, the device "needs to be refilled or replaced after use".
- Self-contained Eyewash: An eyewash device that "contains its own flushing fluid and needs to be refilled or replaced after use".
- Self-contained Shower: A shower that "contains its own flushing fluid and needs to be refilled or replaced after use".