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First Aid

WAC 296-800-150

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Summary

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

Note:

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

Rules

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

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

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

    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.

     

    Note

    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.

Note

Note:

Inspections should include:

  • Examination of the piping
  • Making sure that water is available at the appropriate temperature and quality
  • Activation to check that the valves and other hardware work properly
  • Checking the water flow rate

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.

Note

Note:

Most manufacturers recommend replacing fluid in open self-contained eyewashes every six months.  The period for sealed containers is typically two years.

WAC 296-800-15040

Make sure supplemental flushing equipment provides sufficient water.

Note

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

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.