Heather:

If it is only one unit [or not many dozens] it seems to me that a simple "rust and sediment" filter unit would solve the problems of color, rust, and possible particles in someone's eye. Your institution=E2=80™s plumbers probably have some in stock, and could easily install one just before the offending [offended] eyewash. Retail price might be about $50. Filters down to 5 microns or so retail for about $10 each, and would probably last a year or so. They would also provide visual evidence that there IS [was] problematic and possibly harmful stuff in the eyewash water supply.

The staff time that has been burned up on avoiding a solution to the problem would already have paid for many such units.

If the "potable" water supply is chlorinated, that could well be tearing apart the large [iron?] supply pipe to the shower, but that is somewhat irrelevant when your people's eyes are so easily protected from rusty sediment from the eyewash.

You are in the right. Hang in there!

Afterthought: Why not submit a routine work order to have a rust and sediment filter unit installed just before that eyewash? Do be sure to copy the dean and the president of the institution. See if the chair or the Head Janitor dares to ignore that piece of paper.

Good luck!

sjs

--
Stephen J. Stepenuck, Ph.D.
Emeritus professor of chemistry
Keene State College
Keene NH 03435-2001
sstepenuck**At_Symbol_Here**ne.rr.com

On 4/10/17, 12:39 PM, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety on behalf of Kaufmann, Heather wrote:

Hi everyone,

I am having eyewash issues as well and am seeking advice.

We have an eyewash that started giving discolored water upon activation about 1 month ago. Our Plant services has slowly been looking at the problem but I think I am rapidly hitting a wall and the problem still exists. I feel like the matter is complicated as I am Lab Manager (where I get plenty of support) and Environmental Safety manager (where I get no support) and this issues affects both facets of my job.

What we observe is the the water runs orange for the first 2-5 seconds and then clears up. If we flush it at 8am, the color appears (very lightly but discernible) by 3pm. Therefore, we have been flushing the eyewash daily as labs are scheduled in that room on a daily basis. I have basically been told at this point that they think the discoloration will clear itself up over time. Although the discoloration was worse and longer today after Plant completing an overnight flush Friday to Saturday. Furthermore, this is an eyewash/safety shower combo so there is often a very slight orange tint to that water as well.

My question is whether we should insist on taking the eyewash out of use until they really resolve the problem because even with daily flushing the discoloration occurs somewhat rapidly. There is another eyewash in the lab but it is one of those faucet mounts that you have to adjust the water and remove the caps before you can use it (I had no input on the choice of this eyewash when the room was renovated.) I want to make sure I am advising my Chair properly on the matter.

Also, I asked my manager for the EHS side of my job permission to purchase a copy of ANSI Z358.1 and my request was not granted. I would really like to see the text for myself so I am thinking I need to purchase it on my own at this point. Will the actual text of the standard enlighten me more than just the free summaries that I have poured over?

Help! I just want to keep the lab safe for the students.

Thanks,

Heather

On Thu, Mar 30, 2017 at 7:17 PM, Wilhelm, Monique <mwilhelm**At_Symbol_Here**umflint.edu> wrote:

Hello Everyone,

I know I will be seeing a lot of you on Sunday. In the meantime, I have a question that I hope someone is available to answer:

If the water system in a chemistry lab is reliant on you having to flush the water every day to have the water be clean in said eye wash, can you still say that the eye wash is meeting standards? What if you expect that water to be that way (acidic with particulates) for at least several months while you are having work done on the supply pipes? If the eye wash is not meeting standards, can you legally hold a chemistry class in there that works with corrosives? Or, do you have to close down the lab until portable eye wash solution can be provided?

I really appreciate any advice you can give me about this.

Thank you,
Monique

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This e-mail is from DCHAS-L, the e-mail list of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety.
For more information about the list, contact the Divisional secretary at secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org

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* Please note new phone extension *

Heather Layton Kaufmann, Ph.D.

Environmental Safety and Laboratories Manager

School of Arts & Sciences

Gwynedd Mercy University

1325 Sumneytown Pike
P.O. Box 901
Gwynedd Valley, PA 19437

e-mail:kaufmann.h**At_Symbol_Here**gmercyu.edu

Maguire Hall 236

215-646-7300 x21489

Fax: 215-542-4604

--- This e-mail is from DCHAS-L, the e-mail list of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety. For more information about the list, contact the Divisional secretary at secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org

--- This e-mail is from DCHAS-L, the e-mail list of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety. For more information about the list, contact the Divisional secretary at secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org