# Eyewash station indirect waste



## Darren Emery (Jul 29, 2013)

The 2009 IPC does not list emergency eyewash stations as an item allowed to be indirectly connected to the sanitary sewer.  In talking to a number of commercial plumbing contractors, it seems to be very common practice to indirect waste the eyewashing station to a floor sink or mop sink.  Given the very (hopefully) infrequent use of these stations, it seems like a pretty good idea.

Thoughts?


----------



## JPohling (Jul 29, 2013)

I use the combination eyewash/faucets at sinks quite a bit.  For the more industrial uses with deluge shower/eyewash it just gets dumped on the slab and then the water is dealt with as necessary.  no trench drains or floor sinks typically nearby.


----------



## Dr. J (Jul 30, 2013)

There are two concepts raised here: 1)That emergency eyewash and/or showers are used infrequently and therefore the waste stream can be dealt with seldom if ever;  and 2) That emergency eyewashes and /or showers are indirect waste.

I will debunk 1) first:  Emergency eyewashes/showers are required to be tested weekly. When someone is exposed to a hazardous spill, you want to encourage the user/victim to properly drench their self even if it is "minor", perhaps for 15 min or so.  If the fixture makes a mess every time it is activated (20 gpm for a shower), no one will ever really test them, and even worse - potential user/victims will be discouraged from using it.  If there is no drain, then practically speaking, there is no emergency fixture.

For 2), all eyewashes I am familiar with either have their own bowl with a drain tailpiece that can be trapped and routed to the sanitary sewer, or they are designed to be installed with a sink.  Thus there is no reason it can't be directly connected (see above if you want to bring up dried out traps). Of course, an emergency shower with a floor drain is inherently directly connected, just like a normal shower - the  floor drain IS the direct waste.


----------

