Safety Shower vs Eyewash Station: 4 Questions That Decide It (With OSHA Rules and Real Prices)

A safety shower is the right buy when the corrosive can land on more than the eyes: a splash from a drum, a hose, or a battery that reaches the face, arms or torso. An eyewash station is the right buy when the exposure stops at the eyes and face. Where one hazard can do both, which describes most drum-dispensing and battery-servicing areas, the answer is a combination unit that runs the shower and the eye/face wash at the same time. On Warehouse Gear Hub, a Hughes galvanized shower-only unit is $600.00, the galvanized combination shower with covered-bowl eye/face wash is $1,220.00, the stainless steel shower-only unit is $840.00, and the self-draining outdoor combination unit is $1,960.00.

The four questions below take you from the hazard to the part number, with the OSHA rule quoted from 29 CFR 1910.151(c), the shower flow, head height and spray pattern taken from published ANSI Z358.1 summaries, and every inlet size, pressure and flow rate from Hughes' spec pages at Justrite.

Does OSHA require a safety shower, an eyewash, or both?

The rule is one sentence. 29 CFR 1910.151(c) reads: "Where the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials, suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body shall be provided within the work area for immediate emergency use." The words are "eyes or body" and "eyes and body." OSHA does not name the device. It leaves the choice between an eyewash, a shower, or both to the employer, and it judges the choice against the hazard.

OSHA's September 30, 1994 letter spells out how: "Severity of injury, time of exposure, and number of employees exposed are all considered in determining the required number of eyewash stations, shower stations, or both." Its April 18, 2002 letter adds that "ANSI standards become mandatory OSHA standards only when, and if, they are adopted by OSHA; ANSI Z358.1 was not adopted by OSHA," and that "OSHA has adopted no specific requirements regarding flow rates for drenching/flushing facilities." The same letter then cites the ANSI figure inspectors use as guidance: "emergency shower heads shall be capable of delivering a minimum of 75.7 liters per minute (20 gpm)."

Two more letters set the trigger. The June 1, 2009 letter says the equipment is required only where an employee's eyes or body may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials; a severe irritant that is not corrosive does not trigger 1910.151(c), and a caustic line with "a spigot or tap from which the contents are to be sampled or withdrawn" does. The April 14, 2008 letter confirms OSHA "does not have a listing of corrosive materials" and points to the Hazard Communication definition instead: "a chemical that causes visible destruction of, or irreversible alterations in, living tissue by chemical action at the site of contact," with sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide as its examples.

Read the Safety Data Sheet for every chemical in the area. If Section 2 says corrosive, the rule applies, and the four questions below decide the device.

Question 1: Can the corrosive reach the body, or only the eyes?

This question picks the device. Lab Manager's Z358.1 guide separates the three: an eyewash delivers 0.4 gpm and "flushes both eyes simultaneously," an eye/face wash delivers 3.0 gpm and "flushes eyes and face simultaneously," and a drench shower covers the whole body. A hand-held drench hose "supports a shower or eyewash. It does not replace either," because a person with chemical in both eyes cannot hold and aim it. Per Lab Manager's OSHA and ANSI summary, the shower head "must be capable of flowing 20 gallons per minute (gpm) at 30 psi and producing a 20-inch diameter spray pattern at 60 inches" above the floor, for 15 minutes.

Walk the area and ask where a splash can land. A sealed drum on a spill pallet with a hand pump and a face shield is an eyes-and-face exposure. Tipping, pouring or transferring a 55 gallon drum, opening an IBC valve at chest height, hosing out a tank, or handling battery electrolyte is a body exposure, because the liquid arrives at the torso and runs down.

Forklift battery service is the warehouse case with its own rule. 29 CFR 1910.178(g)(2) requires that "facilities shall be provided for flushing and neutralizing spilled electrolyte," and OSHA's powered industrial truck eTool states that "for large installations, there should be a plumbed drench shower and an eyewash." A charge-only bay where nobody opens a cell or handles acid is an eyewash question; a bay where batteries are watered, changed or topped off is a shower question. Our electric vs propane forklift guide covers the rest of the charging-area rules.

If every exposure in the area stops at the eyes and face, stop here and read the portable vs plumbed eyewash guide; the Hughes 45GEW plumbed eye/face wash in that guide is $520.00 and flows the 3 gpm an eye/face wash calls for. If any exposure reaches the body, keep going.

Unit type	What it flushes, per Lab Manager	ANSI Z358.1 flow	Hughes model we stock	Price as listed
Eyewash	Both eyes at once	0.4 gpm for 15 minutes	10GFEW / 16GFEW gravity-fed, 15GEW pressurized	$240.00 to $1,500.00
Eye/face wash	Eyes and face at once	3.0 gpm for 15 minutes	45GEW wall-mounted, 45GP pedestal	$520.00 / $840.00
Drench shower	Whole body	20 gpm at 30 psi for 15 minutes	18GGLV galvanized, 18GS stainless	$600.00 / $840.00
Combination shower and eye/face wash	Body plus eyes and face, both at once	20 gpm plus 3 gpm, operable together	18G45G galvanized, 18GS45G stainless, SD18G75G self-draining	$1,220.00 / $1,620.00 / $1,960.00
Drench hose	Supplement only, does not replace a shower or eyewash	Not a substitute	38GEW portable 4 gallon eye/face/body unit	$1,080.00

Question 2: Shower only, or combination shower and eyewash?

A shower-only unit is the right buy when a compliant eyewash is already within reach of the same hazard. The Hughes 18GGLV is a galvanized standpipe with a 316L stainless pull-handle valve and a nozzle that, per Justrite's spec page, delivers 76 L/min (20 gpm) from a 1-1/4 in NPT inlet at 22 to 87 psi. It stands 90.7 inches without its sign on an 8.46 inch square footprint, and it is $600.00. Bolt it next to the wall-mounted eye/face wash you already have and both devices are in place.

A combination unit is the right buy everywhere else, because it puts both devices on one standpipe, one inlet and one spot on the floor, so the 10 second reach is measured once. Per Lab Manager, ANSI requires that on a combination unit "both devices must provide adequate flows and be fully operable at the same time," and the 2014 edition assumes everything is running together for the full 15 minute tepid flush. That is 20 gpm for the shower plus 3 gpm for the eye/face wash through one line.

Per Justrite's page for the Hughes 18G45G, that line is a 1-1/4 in NPT bottom inlet at 29 to 87 psi. The shower flows 76 L/min (20 gpm) through a pull handle, the covered acrylic-capped ABS bowl flows 11.4 L/min (3 gpm) when the lid is pulled forward, and the unit is UL Classified to ANSI Z358.1-2014 at 92.2 inches without its sign.

Already own a shower with a dead or missing eyewash? The Hughes 45GEW-R replacement eye/face wash with covered bowl ($620.00) fits existing Hughes safety showers, which turns a shower-only unit into a combination unit without a new standpipe.

Question 3: Galvanized or stainless, and where does the water come in?

Every Hughes floor-mounted shower we stock uses a 316L stainless steel operating valve, so the material question is about the pipework and the bowl, not the part that has to open in one second. Galvanized steel pipework is the standard for a dry, conditioned indoor bay: a battery room, a mix room, a dispensing station under a roof. Stainless pipework, which Justrite's 18GS spec page describes as built for the harshest environments and site conditions, is the pick for washdown areas, corrosive vapor, and any spot where a galvanized coating will get scrubbed or etched.

The price gap is $240.00 on a shower-only unit ($600.00 galvanized vs $840.00 stainless) and $400.00 on a combination unit ($1,220.00 vs $1,620.00). Both shower-only units share the same 20 gpm flow, 1-1/4 in inlet, 22 to 87 psi range and 90.7 inch height.

The inlet question is answered by your plumber. A low-level (bottom) inlet takes a supply that stubs up through the floor or runs along the base of the wall. A top inlet takes a supply that drops from overhead, which is the common case in a warehouse where water runs in the joists. The Hughes 18G45GT is the top-inlet twin of the 18G45G, per Justrite's 18G45GT page: same 20 gpm and 3 gpm, same 1-1/4 in NPT at 29 to 87 psi, same 92.2 inch height, $1,280.00. Pick the inlet that matches where the pipe already is, because moving the supply costs more than the $60.00 difference between the two units.

Whichever you pick, the placement numbers come from ANSI Z358.1 as summarized by Lab Manager: shower head 82 to 96 inches off the floor, valve no higher than 69 inches, and the center of the spray pattern at least 16 inches from any wall, door or obstruction. Hughes' own OSHA requirements page adds that the unit sits on the same level as the hazard, free from obstructions and well-lit with clear signage. On distance, OSHA's August 22, 1996 letter reads "within 10 feet of unimpeded travel distance from the corrosive material hazard," and ANSI's 10 second guidance, which Justrite states as approximately 55 feet, is the outer limit. Plan to 10 feet for a strong acid or caustic and to 10 seconds everywhere else.

Model we stock	Pipework	Eye/face wash	Inlet	Height without sign	Price as listed
18GGLV shower only	Galvanized	None	1-1/4 in, bottom	90.7 in	$600.00
18GS shower only	Stainless	None	1-1/4 in, bottom	90.7 in	$840.00
18G45G combination	Galvanized	Covered ABS bowl	1-1/4 in, bottom	92.2 in	$1,220.00
18G45GT combination	Galvanized	Covered ABS bowl	1-1/4 in, top	92.2 in	$1,280.00
18G75G combination	Galvanized	Open yellow ABS bowl	1-1/4 in, top	92.5 in	$1,100.00
18G85G combination	Galvanized	Open stainless bowl	1-1/4 in, top	92.3 in	$1,540.00
18GS45G combination	Stainless	Covered ABS bowl	1-1/4 in, bottom	92.2 in	$1,620.00
18GS45GT combination	Stainless	Covered ABS bowl	1-1/4 in, top	92.2 in	$1,720.00
SD18G75G self-draining combination	Galvanized	Open yellow ABS bowl	1-1/4 in	89.2 in	$1,960.00

Question 4: Will the water be tepid, and who tests it weekly?

ANSI Z358.1 calls for tepid flushing fluid, which Justrite's ANSI requirements guide states as "60 F to 100 F (16 C to 38 C)." OSHA does not set a number, but its June 21, 1994 letter makes temperature enforceable at both ends: "an installation that would be hazardous to an employee due to elevated water temperatures would constitute a violation of the OSHA standard at 1910.151(c)," and "where the possibility of freezing conditions exists, equipment must be protected from freezing or freeze-protected equipment shall be installed." A shower moves 20 gallons a minute, so a 15 minute flush is 300 gallons over the person. If the line is cold, nobody stands under it for 15 minutes, and the flush the standard is built around does not happen.

A cold-water line in an unheated dock delivers whatever the line holds, and the fix is a thermostatic mixing valve ahead of the shower. Per Justrite's page for the Hughes TMVS-AC, it blends hot and cold to a factory preset of 85 F (adjustable to 95 F) across 2 to 35.1 gpm at 30 psi, which covers a single shower and its eye/face wash running together. It has 3/4 in NPT hot and cold inlets, a cold-water bypass that keeps water flowing if the hot supply fails, and a hot-water shutoff that stops scalding water if the cold supply fails. At $1,640.00 it is the part that turns a $1,220.00 combination unit into a station someone will stay under.

Sun is the opposite problem. A standpipe in a yard or on a loading apron holds water that heats between uses. Hughes' self-draining shower page explains the design: "after use, or following a weekly activation, the standpipe drains when the valve is closed to prevent stagnant water," which stops "stagnant water overheating due to solar radiation, removing the risk of scalding when next used." Per Justrite's SD18G75G page, the self-draining combination unit is rated for 41 F to 113 F, against 41 F to 95 F for the standard indoor units, with the same 20 gpm and 3 gpm flows, 1-1/4 in inlet and 29 to 87 psi range.

The self-draining unit is for hot climates and sun-exposed installs, not freezing ones. Where the pipe can freeze, the 1994 letter applies, and Hughes' stainless freeze protection valve ($500.00) or a heated and insulated unit is the conversation to have before you buy.

Then there is the weekly job. Per Haws' summary of the Z358.1 testing rules, "emergency equipment shall be activated weekly" with water flowing to the heads long enough to clear stagnant water from the unit and its supply piping, and the valve "shall go from 'off' to 'on' in one second or less and flushing fluid shall remain on without the use of operator's hands." Hughes puts the weekly flush at about 5 minutes, with 1 to 2 minutes enough in some locations. Every unit then gets a full annual inspection: measured flow rate, measured temperature, spray pattern, valve activation time, component condition, clearances and heights.

Twenty gallons a minute has to go somewhere during that weekly pull, which is what the Hughes shower test kit ($275.00) is for. Per Justrite's TEST-KIT page, an 81 inch by 11 inch fiber sleeve directs the shower discharge into a 5 gallon bucket, with a record log in the lid. Put the weekly test on one person's calendar, and pick that person before the unit ships.

Which safety shower should you buy?

Match the hazard to the line that describes it.

• Corrosive reaches the eyes and face only: no shower. Hughes 45GEW plumbed eye/face wash ($520.00) or a gravity-fed tank, sized in the eyewash guide.
• Body exposure, compliant eyewash already within 10 seconds, dry indoor bay: Hughes 18GGLV shower only ($600.00). 20 gpm, 1-1/4 in bottom inlet, 22 to 87 psi.
• Same, but washdown or corrosive vapor: Hughes 18GS stainless shower only ($840.00). Same flow, inlet and pressure, stainless pipework.
• Body and eye exposure at one station, supply from the floor: Hughes 18G45G galvanized combination ($1,220.00). 20 gpm plus 3 gpm, 29 to 87 psi, covered bowl.
• Same, supply from overhead: Hughes 18G45GT ($1,280.00), or the open yellow-bowl 18G75G ($1,100.00) where dust is not a concern.
• Combination in a washdown or corrosive area: Hughes 18GS45G stainless, bottom inlet ($1,620.00) or 18GS45GT, top inlet ($1,720.00).
• Outdoor and in the sun: Hughes SD18G75G self-draining combination ($1,960.00), rated to 113 F, or its stainless twin SD18GS75G ($1,880.00).
• Any plumbed unit on a cold line: add the Hughes TMVS-AC mixing valve ($1,640.00) ahead of it, sized for one shower and eye/face wash.
• No water line at all: the Hughes 30 gallon mobile safety shower with eye/face wash ($8,480.00) is the self-contained unit. The 4 gallon 38GEW portable eye/face/body unit ($1,080.00) is a supplement for maintenance crews, not a replacement; Justrite rates it at up to three minutes of flow when charged to 100 psi, against the 15 minutes the standard is built on.

Every unit above is in the Hughes collection, alongside the cubicle decontamination showers, tank showers and heated jackets we did not cover here. If the bay lands between two lines, call 1-800-794-1049, 8 AM to 4 PM Central, with the chemical, whether a 1-1/4 inch line can reach the spot at 29 psi or better, and the room's winter and summer temperatures. We will size it in one call and send a written quote for approval.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does OSHA require a safety shower, or is an eyewash station enough?

It depends on where the corrosive can land. 29 CFR 1910.151(c) requires "suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body" wherever "the eyes or body" may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials, and OSHA's 1994 letter says severity, exposure time and headcount decide "the required number of eyewash stations, shower stations, or both." If the exposure stops at the eyes and face, an eyewash or eye/face wash is suitable. If a splash can reach the torso, arms or legs, the suitable facility is a shower, and a combination unit covers both.

What is the required flow rate and height for an emergency safety shower?

ANSI Z358.1, per Lab Manager's summary, sets 20 gallons per minute at 30 psi for 15 minutes, a spray pattern at least 20 inches across measured 60 inches above the floor, a shower head 82 to 96 inches off the floor, and a valve no higher than 69 inches. OSHA's 2002 letter states that OSHA "has adopted no specific requirements regarding flow rates" of its own and cites the ANSI figure of 75.7 liters per minute (20 gpm) as the guidance it uses. Every Hughes floor-mounted shower we stock is rated at 76 L/min (20 gpm) and stands 89.2 to 92.5 inches without its sign, per Justrite's spec pages.

How far can a safety shower be from the hazard?

OSHA's August 22, 1996 letter reads "within 10 feet of unimpeded travel distance from the corrosive material hazard," or a distance a physician or appropriate official recommends. ANSI Z358.1's guidance is 10 seconds of travel, which Justrite puts at approximately 55 feet, on the same level as the hazard with no doors or obstructions in the path. Plan to 10 feet for a strong acid or caustic and to 10 seconds everywhere else.

Does a forklift battery charging area need a safety shower?

29 CFR 1910.178(g)(2) requires "facilities for flushing and neutralizing spilled electrolyte," and 1910.151(c) applies to anyone who handles the electrolyte. OSHA's eTool states that "for large installations, there should be a plumbed drench shower and an eyewash." A charge-only bay where cells are never opened is an eyewash question; a bay where batteries are watered, changed or serviced needs a shower within 10 seconds of the work, and a combination unit such as the 18G45G covers both in one footprint.

How often do you test a safety shower?

Weekly and annually. Per Haws' summary of ANSI Z358.1, "emergency equipment shall be activated weekly" with water flowing to the heads long enough to clear stagnant water from the unit and its supply piping; Hughes puts that at about 5 minutes, with 1 to 2 minutes enough in some locations. Once a year the unit gets a full inspection against the standard: flow rate, temperature, spray pattern, valve activation time, component condition, heights and clearances. A shower test kit with a sleeve and a 5 gallon bucket keeps the weekly 20 gpm off the floor.

How much does a safety shower cost?

On Warehouse Gear Hub as of this writing, the Hughes 18GGLV galvanized shower-only unit is $600.00, the 18GS stainless shower-only unit is $840.00, the 18G45G galvanized combination shower and eye/face wash is $1,220.00, the 18GS45G stainless combination is $1,620.00, and the SD18G75G self-draining outdoor combination is $1,960.00. A cold supply line adds the $1,640.00 TMVS-AC mixing valve, and the weekly test kit is $275.00. Plumbing, a floor drain and the freight are on top, and we quote volume and B2B orders with price match against authorized dealers.