Speakman Safety Products offer a wide range of products that are adapted to meet the general ADA requirements. These items are identified with a wheelchair symbol.

Neither the ANSI Z358.1 standard nor the ANSI A117.1 address ADA requirements for Safety Showers & Eyewashes. Current industry practice is to offer safety showers and eyewashes that are designed with the reach and accessibility requirements that are called out for drinking fountains and wash basins as detailed in ANSI A117.1.

ANSI Z358.1 is a Copyrighted document that is available from the International Safety Equipment Association: www.safetyequipment.org. Speakman Safety Products offers the "Safety Survey" and "Tips for Compliance" which provide a general overview of the ANSI Standard.

The maximum pressure for Speakman Emergency Equipment is 120 psi static.

The ANSI Standard requires that all eyewashes and eye/face washes are supplied with a minimum flowing water pressure of 30 psi.

Speakman Safety products offers a range of thermostatic mixing valves that will deliver a safe supply of tepid water. The key features of these valves are that they feature a positive hot water shut down in case of loss of cold water supply and a cold water bypass in case of valve failure. Model SE-350: Flow capacity of 3-60 gpm with 1¼" inlets to accommodate up to 3 showers at once. Cold water by-pass rate of 40gpm. Dual thermostatic elements to provide redundant backup in the event of a thermostat failure. Model SE-362: Flow capacity of 2- 25 gpm with 1¼" inlets to accommodate a single shower/eyewash combination fixture or up to 4 eyewash units. Cold water by-pass rate of 21gpm. Model SE-370: Flow capacity of 1- 7 gpm with 1½" to service a single eyewash/facewash unit. Cold water by-pass rate of 5gpm.

ANSI Z 358.1 recommends that water supplied to Emergency fixtures is Tepid. The ISEA further defines the tepid range as 60°F -- 95°F

ANSI Z358.1 recommends testing Emergency Equipment on a weekly basis to verify operation and inspected annually to assure conformance with ANSI Z358.1.

Unlike typical faucets that are used daily, showers and eyewashes may never be used. As a result only weekly testing can ensure that the equipment is operational in case of emergency.

Portable eyewashes should be filled with potable water and Speakman SE-4210 water preservative. One 8 ounce bottle is sufficient to treat up to 21 gallons of water and will preserve it for up to 6 months

After a period of 6 months the unit should be emptied, cleaned and then re-filled with potable water and SE-4210 water preservative. One 8 ounce bottle is sufficient to treat up to 21 gallons of water and will preserve it for up to 6 months.

Aerated water, a Speakman exclusive, flows smoothly around irregular contours of the eyes and face, efficiently washing away contaminants. The soft aerated spray allows users to comfortably flush their eyes for the ANSI recommended 15 minutes. Non-aerated sprays are designed to provide a soft spray for a wider coverage area.

Faucet aerators cannot be used as replacement aerators for Speakman aerated eyewashes. Our aerators are engineered to perform in accordance with the ANSI Z358.1 standard and are not interchangeable with faucet aerators.

In a normal installation a floor standing shower should not lean. However due to the levelness of the floor there may be a crooked appearance.

A flow switch operates when it senses water flow. This is achieved by a paddle that is inserted into the waterway. When a shower or eyewash is activated the paddle moves and closes a switch thus activating the alarm.

The ANSI Z358.1 standard for showers and eyewashes recommends that the activating devices for showers and eyewashes remain open once they are activated. To achieve this Speakman Company uses ball valves which require specific actions to open and close the valve permitting the eyewash or shower to be used hands free after activation. A self closing valve is a spring activated device that requires a specific action to activate but will close on its own. This type of device requires the user to hold an activating lever while the unit is in operation and does afford hands free operation as required by the ANSI standard. In some school applications self-closing valves are permissible provided that approval is received from the local code authorities. In these situations this is desirable to prevent accidental or mischievous activation of a shower which could cause significant water damage.

The ANSI Z358.1 standard does not address the requirement of floor drains. However local and national plumbing codes may require floor drains in conjunction with showers and eyewashes and should thus be consulted. If a floor drain is installed, consideration should be given to any requirements for collecting the effluent from a drain that supports an eyewash or shower. It may not be desirable to flush certain chemicals into the public sewer system.

A containment system is a tank or container used to collect flushing fluid runoff

Containment Systems should be used any time that it would be undesirable to dispose of the flushing fluid into the public sewer system.

The ANSI Z358.1 standard does not require calibration of emergency equipment but it does require annual testing of the equipment to ensure that it meets the requirements of the standard.

Speakman Company does not provide field service for the annual equipment evaluation. However, certain local distributors do offer this service. Normally this inspection is performed by employees of the facility in which the equipment resides.

Speakman Company does not have a preferred maintenance contractor or service center. Our products are easily serviced by any professional licensed plumber or electrician.

A drench hose can be considered an eyewash or shower if it meets the ANSI Z358.1 performance requirements of that device. Speakman Company offers the SE-927 counter mounted drench hose that meets all the eyewash requirements. Speakman Company does not have any drench hose products that meet the requirements of a shower.

Speakman Company manufactures several models of electrically heated showers and alarms. These are built to meet a number of different electrical classifications -- Non-Hazardous, Class 1 Division 2 and Class 1 Division 1. It is dependent upon the user or specifier to indicate the environment in which the equipment will be used and what electrical requirements the equipment needs to meet. Speakman Company will not make recommendations on electrical classifications.

A heat traced unit is intended to prevent showers which are located in unheated spaces from freezing. These units will not deliver tepid water and an alternate means of providing tepid water needs to be employed.

The ISEA recommends the following for locating eyewashes and showers. Travel distance: The reference to a specific distance for placement of emergency equipment has been removed to place emphasis on the time that it should take to research the equipment. Consideration to lighting and path of travel should be given. In no situation should it take more than 10 seconds to reach the equipment and it should be noted that such equipment must be located on the same level as the hazard and the path of travel shall be free of obstruction. At this time, the Secretariat is not recommending a specific measurement of travel relative to a 10 second travel time.

OSHA is the regulating governmental agency for requiring the use of showers and eyewashes. The following is the OSHA requirement for these products: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.151, Subpart k, sec.c - "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 OSHA requirements are a Federal Law while the ANSI Standard is a minimum performance recommendation. However as evidenced by the following excerpt from an OSHA letter of interpretation, the ANSI standard is used by OSHA inspectors to ensure compliance. "Since OSHA requires suitable facilities for quick drenching and flushing of the eyes and body for emergency use in compliance with 29 CFR 1910.151 c, and since the national consensus standard ANSI Z358.1 provides details on emergency eyewash and shower equipment, both standards are referenced by OSHA compliance personnel when assessing safety and health conditions related to showers and eyewashes"

FM stands for Factory Mutual which is an independent testing laboratory. FM certifies that Speakman Heat Traced Showers are manufactured in accordance with recognized plumbing & electrical codes.

This certification ensures an end user that Speakman Heat Traced Combination Showers and Eyewashes are safe and conform to national codes. While many companies use FM certified components for their equipment, only Speakman Company has the entire unit certified for compliance to these code requirements.

FM units can be serviced in the field provided that the work is done by a qualified electrician or plumber and that the replacement parts are genuine Speakman replacement components.

This depends on the specific hospital and their design requirements.

The requirement for tepid water comes from the industry safety standard ANSI Z358.1. As a result emergency fixtures should be supplied with tepid water whether or not national or local codes require it.

A drench hose will meet the requirements of an eye wash or eye/face wash if it meets the specific requirements of that piece of equipment.

ANSI Z358.1 requires the use of tepid water for emergency showers & eyewashes. It is important to provide tepid water to showers and eyewashes so that a user has the ability to use the equipment as designed. Cold water may cause the user to abort use of the equipment before all contaminants can be removed. Additionally victims subjected to cold water may experience hypothermia. Water that is too warm may cause a thermal burn and additional injury to the eyes or body.

See the attached aerator illustration.