Guidelines for care & Use of Dry Solvent Stills [Example]

4. Eyewash Fountains and Safety Showers
Explicit instructions for using the eyewash fountains and safety showers located in Salem Hall are
given in the safety film shown to all Chemistry Department freshmen during the first week of laboratory
check-in. The film is entitled: “Starting with Safety.” Beginning graduate students serving as general
chemistry lab teaching assistants will also be exposed to these instructions. TEACHING ASSISTANTS
ARE FORMALLY REQUIRED TO SHOW ALL OF THEIR GENERAL CHEMISTRY LAB STUDENTS
EXACTLY WHERE EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT IS LOCATED IN THEIR PARTICULAR ASSIGNED
LABS. TA’s in all other undergraduate labs are expected to do the same.
All eyewashes / safety showers in Salem Hall are located less than 75 feet from hazardous
laboratory locations as required by the applicable standard cited by OSHA, referred to as ANSI Z358.1
(American National Standards Institute). They are accessible from all work areas within undergraduate and
graduate labs. Do not physically block access to these fountains with glassware, equipment, etc. Crowding
equipment around infrequently used safety equipment will of course render them nonfunctional.
Teaching assistants for undergraduate labs should activate the particular eyewash fountain or
drench hose in their labs to demonstrate the flow of water available for chemical exposure to eyes. All
research students should activate the eyewash fountain, drench hose, safety shower, and one or two fire
extinguishers in their particular labs at least once to familiarize themselves with all safety equipment when
beginning research during their first year of lab work.
Contaminants in the eye frequently cause muscle contractions and an instinctive urge to close the
eyelid making proper drenching difficult. It would not be unreasonable to practice trying to hold your
eyelids open with your fingers while exposing your eyes to the discomfort of a good dousing. Eyewash
fountains are constructed so as to remain flowing after they have initially been turned on. Ten or fifteen
minutes of irrigation would not be unusual for a bad exposure. Drench hoses available in the newer
undergraduate labs in Salem Hall do not automatically remain open, so you and your co-workers should be
prepared to operate the hand-valve on the drench hose for injured students.
Chemical injury to the eyes occur quickly and they need to be cleaned out rapidly, which means
you need to be able to locate the eyewash fountain literally with your eyes closed. Practice this at least once
in research labs.
Other sections of this manual elaborate the necessity of wearing safety glasses while working with
chemicals. The following eyewash fountain / lab drench hose directions will serve as your formal guide for
using this equipment in the event you have not seen the aforementioned general chemistry safety film
entitled “Starting with Safety.”
1. Memorize the location of eyewash fountains, lab drench hoses, and safety showers in your lab.
2. Be prepared to help injured colleagues wash their eyes out properly. In other words, help them adjust
to the discomfort of holding their faces in streams of cold water and forcing their eyelids open, thus
avoiding the impulse to close eyes tightly after chemical exposure while attempting to irrigate them
with water.
3. Do not wear contact lenses in any lab while using chemicals.
4. Know where to locate the emergency phone in your work area and how to call for medical help. Get
medical help immediately after eye injuries.
5. Wash out eyes for 10 to 15 minutes. Wash chemical spills on skin also. Don’t rub your eyes while
washing them out.
As for safety showers, make use of them by simply standing underneath and pulling the hand ring
downwards. In most cases, heavy drenching with mineral acids or corrosive organic chemicals will require
disrobing of at least the entire exposed clothing articles.
The next page here lists physical locations of all eyewash fountains, fire blankets, and safety
showers in Salem Hall.
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