Standards now regulate emergency equipment water temperature to keep water from getting too hot or too cold.
Issue: 3/05
At the dawn of the 20th century, there were no emergency drench showers and eyewashes. Workers were generally considered lucky if there was a first-aid kit around! Industrial accidents-and even fatalities-were commonplace and accepted as an unfortunate, but necessary cost of progress. Concern for worker safety and governmental pressure led to the invention of rapid response equipment, including drench showers and eyewashes. Although equipment advances through the earlier years made the available products more effective, there was little regard for the effects of using ambient temperature water and overall victim comfort. More recently, ANSI and others began to focus on the effects of ambient temperature water on the comfort and well-being of the victim, as well as its impact on the required drench or irrigation cycle times.