First of all, apologies for the delay in responding. It took me longer than I thought to research this.
Question 1: Yes. Eye wash bottles would be required if the the worker in the vehicle is immediately exposed to hazard of eye injury and there are no other accessible eyewash facilities available. Explanation: According to Section 124(1) of the Ontario OHS Regs. for Industrial Establishments: “Where a worker is required to work with, or is likely to be exposed to, a hazardous biological or chemical agent that could cause injury to the eye or skin, an employer shall provide as many of the following as are needed for adequate emergency treatment:
1. Eye wash facilities.
2. Emergency showers.
3. Antidotes, flushing fluids or washes.”
Section 124(2) adds that the required emergency equipment or treatments must: “(b) be located or installed in a conspicuous place near where the hazardous biological or chemical agent is kept or used;” and “(c) be readily accessible to workers.”
Question 2: While not addressed in the OHS Regs., ANSI and other standards say that the water temperature used to flush the eye in an emergency should be in the tepid range of 60° to 100° F (16° to 38° C). Engineering controls that you’d use to keep the temperature tepid is beyond my expertise. I saw the following reference but don’t know if it would work for an eyewash bottle. “The easiest way to ensure that water is of the correct temperature is to install a thermostatic mixing valve, which mixes hot and cold water to a predefined temperature before it is delivered to the unit.”
I hope this helps and I apologize again for keeping you waiting. Feel free to contact me at glennd@bongarde.com if you want to follow up. Glenn Demby, I’m the editor of OHSI, not a subscriber.
