• Emergency eyewashes shall be located within a 10 second fast walk from any location where wet bench work, machining operations, or soldering is performed.
• Access to emergency eyewashes shall be immediate: eyewash access is not to be blocked by glassware, equipment, carboys, etc.
• Eyewashes that are located on/near sinks and which drain into the sink, or eyewashes that are independent of sinks shall be visually inspected and activated once per week. Federal guidelines (ANSI Standard Z358.1-2014) state that plumbed emergency eyewash units must be activated weekly to flush the line, verify operation, and inspected annually.
• Perform a visual inspection looking for plugged nozzles, broken eyewash caps, cracked bowls, broken levers, and debris in the bowl. Nozzles and bowls shall be kept clean of visual debris.
• Laboratory staff shall flush the emergency eyewash units until the water is clear (recommendation is between 1 and 3 minutes).
• Check for flow. The water stream should be about six inches long, with both streams crossing at the center of the eyewash nozzle.
• Record the date the eyewash unit was inspected and tested, sign or initial the record sheet and post prominently nearby.

For information on how to use an eyewash, see Emergency Procedures.