Labor & Industries (L&I), Washington State

Core Rules

First Aid WAC 296-800-150

For printing

Your Responsibility:

Make sure first-aid trained personnel are available to provide quick and effective first aid

You must:

Make sure that first-aid trained personnel are available to provide quick and effective first aid	WAC 296-800-15005
Make sure appropriate first-aid supplies are readily available	WAC 296-800-15020
Make sure emergency washing facilities are functional and readily accessible	WAC 296-800-15030
Inspect and activate your emergency washing facilities	WAC 296-800-15035
Make sure supplemental flushing equipment provides sufficient water	WAC 296-800-15040

 

Note: Employers who require their employees to provide first-aid must comply with chapter 296-823 WAC, Occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens. Your workplace may be covered by separate first-aid rules. If you do any of the types of work listed below, you must follow separate, industry specific rules: Industry  Chapter (WAC) Agricultural  296-307 Compressed air  296-36 Construction  296-155 Fire fighting 296-305 Logging  296-54 Sawmill  296-78 Ship building and repairing 296-304 You can get copies of these rules by calling 1-800-4BE SAFE (1-800-423-7233), or by going to http://www.lni.wa.gov/Safety/Rules/Find/Download

WAC 296-800-15005

Make sure that first-aid trained personnel are available to provide quick and effective first aid

You must:

Comply with the first-aid training requirements of 29 CFR 1910.151(b) which states:

"In the absence of an infirmary, clinic, or hospital in near proximity to the workplace, which is used for the treatment of all injured employees, a person or persons shall be adequately trained to render first-aid."

WAC 296-800-15020

Make sure appropriate first-aid supplies are readily available

You must:

• Make sure first-aid supplies are readily available.
• Make sure first-aid supplies at your workplace are appropriate to:
• - Your occupational setting.
• - The response time of your emergency medical services.

Note: First-aid kits from your local retailer or safety supplier should be adequate for most nonindustrial employers.

 
You must:

• Make sure that first-aid supplies are:
• - Easily accessible to all your employees.
• - Stored in containers that protect them from damage, deterioration, or contamination. Containers must be clearly marked, not locked, and may be sealed.
• - Able to be moved to the location of an injured or acutely ill employee.

 

WAC 296-800-15030

Make sure emergency washing facilities are functional and readily accessible

You must:

• Provide an emergency shower:
• - When there is potential for major portions of an employee's body to contact corrosives, strong irritants, or toxic chemicals.
• - That delivers water to cascade over the user's entire body at a minimum rate of 20 gallons (75 liters) per minute for fifteen minutes or more.
• Provide an emergency eyewash:
• - When there is potential for an employee's eyes to be exposed to corrosives, strong irritants, or toxic chemicals.
• - That irrigates and flushes both eyes simultaneously while the user holds their eyes open.
• - With an on-off valve that activates in one second or less and remains on without user assistance until intentionally turned off.
• - That delivers at least 0.4 gallons (1.5 liters) of water per minute for fifteen minutes or more.

Note: Chemicals that require emergency washing facilities: You can determine whether chemicals in your workplace require emergency washing facilities by looking at the material safety data sheet (MSDS) or similar documents.  The MSDS contains information about first-aid requirements and emergency flushing of skin or eyes. For chemicals developed in the workplace, the following resources provide information about first-aid requirements: - NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards * DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 97-140 * http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/default.html - Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH)

You must:

• Make sure emergency washing facilities:
• - Are located so that it takes no more than ten seconds to reach.
• - Are kept free of obstacles blocking their use.
• - Function correctly.
• - Provide the quality and quantity of water that is satisfactory for emergency washing purposes.

Note: If water in emergency washing facilities is allowed to freeze, they will not function correctly.  Precautions need to be taken to prevent this from happening. The travel distance to an emergency washing facility should be no more than fifty feet (15.25 meters). For further information on the design, installation, and maintenance of emergency washing facilities, see American National Standards Institute (ANSI) publication Z358.1 - 1998, Emergency Eyewash and Shower Equipment.  Emergency washing facilities that are designed to meet ANSI Z358.1 - 1998 also meet the requirements of this standard.  The ANSI standard can be obtained from the American National Standards Institute, 1430 Broadway, New York, New York 10018.

Reference: Training in the location and use of your emergency washing facilities is required under the employer chemical hazard communication rule, WAC 296-800-170, and the accident prevention program rule, WAC 296-800-140. All emergency washing facilities using "not fit for drinking" (nonpotable) water must have signs stating the water is "not fit for drinking."  See WAC 296-800-23010.

WAC 296-800-15035

Inspect and activate your emergency washing facilities

You must:

• Make sure all plumbed emergency washing facilities are inspected once a year to make sure they function correctly.

You must:

• Make sure plumbed emergency eyewashes and hand-held drench hoses are activated weekly to check the proper functioning of the valves, hardware and availability of water.
• Make sure all self-contained eyewash equipment and personal eyewash units are inspected and maintained according to manufacturers instructions.
• - Inspections to check proper operation must be done once a year
• - Sealed personal eyewashes must be replaced after the manufacturer's expiration date.

WAC 296-800-15040

Make sure supplemental flushing equipment provides sufficient water.

Note: Supplemental flushing equipment cannot be used in place of required emergency showers or eyewashes.

You must:

• Make sure hand-held drench hoses deliver at least 3.0 gallons (11.4 liters) of water per minute for fifteen minutes or more.

Note: Why use a drench hose?  A drench hose is useful when: The spill is small and does not require an emergency shower Used with a shower for local rinsing, particularly on the lower extremities.

You must:

• Make sure personal eyewash equipment delivers only clean water or other medically approved eye flushing solutions.