Gordon, Appendix B of the ANSI Z358.1-2004 standard (American National Standard for Emergency Eyewash and Shower Equipment) contains a section (B5) on Placement of Emergency Equipment in which the following is stated: "It is recognized that the average person covers a distance of approximately 55 feet in 10 seconds when walking at a normal pace." So this fact should be considered among other factors in determining how far away emergency eyewash and shower equipment can be from an injurious material exposure in order to meet the requirement for making such equipment immediately available - but in no instance longer than 10 seconds of time away. As Section B5 of Appendix B points out other considerations for eyewash/shower placement include the physical and emotional state of a potential victim, what other hazards may be present along the path of travel from the exposure location to the emergency equipment, and whether or not the materials involved are highly corrosive -- if the latter is the case, one may want to insist on having the equipment much closer than the 55 feet the average person would traverse in 10 seconds. All of the above being said, it should be noted that the just-cited appendix is NOT part of the ANSIZ358.1-2004 standard but is included with it for information only. I hope the above information is of some assistance. Regards, Stephen Stephen Hemperly, MS, CIH, CSP, CLSO Voice: (408) 717-7704; Fax: (408) 717-9051 Advisory Industrial Hygienist Hitachi Global Storage Technologies 3403 Yerba Buena Road - Room 1345B San Jose, CA 95135-1500 steve.hemperly**At_Symbol_Here**hitachigst.com None of us is as strong as all of us. Industrial hygienists are scientists and engineers committed to protecting the health and safety of people in the workplace and the community. Gordon MillerTo Sent by: DCHAS-L DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**list.uvm.edu Discussion List cc Subject [DCHAS-L] Definition of Acceptable Distance to a Safety Eyewash/Shower 04/10/2007 01:19 PM Please respond to Gordon Miller The ANSI Z358.1-1990 standard specified the distance to a safety eyewash/shower be 100 feet or 10 seconds travelling time or 100 feet. The 2004 version of the standard specifies 10 seconds. How do you define acceptable distance? * By time only (10 secs.) * By 10 secs./100 ft., or * By 10 secs./A distance other than 100 ft. Please advise. "Inquiring minds want to know!" Gordon Miller Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory P.O. Box 808 (L-379) Livermore, California 94550 (925) 423-8036 Fax (925) 422-5176 miller22**At_Symbol_Here**llnl.gov
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