First Aid for Chemicals and Foreign Bodies in the Eye

First aid when a chemical gets in the eye: the first seconds are decisive

A solvent splash while cleaning a mould in a chemicals or plastics plant, a hose end emptying on a caustic filling line, or a drop of acid hitting a maintenance technician in the face… First aid for a chemical in the eye does not begin with waiting for the ambulance, but with the employee on the spot getting the eye under water in the first seconds. Every second the chemical is in contact with the surface of the eye, it penetrates further into the tissue; delayed flushing can cause damage that later treatment cannot make good.

This article covers two types of eye injury: chemical splashes and foreign bodies such as grinding swarf. The first response to each is the opposite of the other: with a chemical, the eye is flushed immediately and for a long time, whereas with swarf lodged in the eye, the eye is not touched. Teaching your employees this difference in advance prevents the wrong reflex at the moment of the incident.

Situation	First response	Never do
Liquid chemical splash (acid, solvent, detergent)	Eyewash immediately, eyelids open, at least 15 minutes	Try to neutralise it, drops or ointment
Alkali splash (caustic soda, lime, cement, ammonia)	Flush immediately and for longer; continue on the way to the healthcare facility	Cut flushing short because "it doesn't hurt"
Loose dust or chips in the eye	Blink without rubbing, flush with clean water or sterile saline	Rub the eye, try to remove it with the corner of a tissue
Metal swarf stuck to the cornea	Cover without touching or pressing the eye, eye examination	Try to remove it with a needle, magnet or cotton bud
Object embedded in the eye	Stabilise the object, cover both eyes, call 112	Pull the object out, apply pressure to the eye

Using the eyewash station: step by step

The eyewash station is the water source that can be reached fastest in a department where chemicals are used. Employees need to be able to find and operate it even when their eye is burning and their vision is blurred. This is why eyewash use is taught by practice, not by leaflet:

Call for help and head for the eyewash. The affected employee calls out loudly; a nearby employee takes them by the arm to the eyewash.
Turn it on. Push the lever or pedal all the way; the dust covers open and water flows from both nozzles.
Keep the eyelids open. Hold the eyelids, which close by reflex, open with the employee's own fingers or, if necessary, the helper's hand. Water running over a closed eye does not wash the chemical away.
Move the eye. During flushing the eye is turned up, down and to the sides, so that chemical trapped under the eyelids is also washed out.
Remove contact lenses. If a lens comes out easily, it is removed in the first minutes of flushing. Flushing is not interrupted to remove it.
Tilt the head for one eye. If only one eye is affected, the head is tilted so that the affected eye is lower, so that contaminated water does not run into the healthy eye.
Time it. The flushing time is tracked with a watch by the person alongside, not by the employee. Pain easing is not a reason to stop flushing.
Remove contaminated clothing. If chemical has splashed on the face and neck, the emergency shower is also used.

If there is a dry powder chemical such as lime or cement in the eye or on the face, first gently brush the dry powder off the eyelids and face, then start flushing. A small amount of water reacting with dry powder can make the residue on the surface more corrosive.

Eye flushing time: why at least 15 minutes?

The widely accepted lower limit for eye flushing time in first aid practice is 15 minutes. This should be thought of as the shortest time needed to dilute and remove the chemical from the surface of the eye and under the eyelids; it is not an upper limit. Alkaline substances penetrate eye tissue more deeply than acids, so flushing time is kept longer. In practice, with alkali splashes flushing is often continued until a healthcare facility is reached.

The document that best tells you the right time is the safety data sheet for the product you use. Section 4 of the sheet describes first aid measures, and section 8 covers the choice of eye protection. Read these two sections with the workplace physician for each product in your chemical inventory and post a short instruction next to the eyewash. We explain how to read the sheet in our article how to read a safety data sheet.

When flushing is finished, the employee is taken for an eye examination even if the symptoms have eased. For serious splashes, call 112. Send the product label or a printout of the safety data sheet to the healthcare facility too; the physician knowing which substance they are dealing with speeds up treatment.

Foreign bodies and grinding swarf in the eye

Angle grinding, metal cutting, granule crushing and cleaning with compressed air are the most common causes of foreign bodies in the eye. When grinding swarf gets in the eye, the situation is handled differently from a chemical, because a hot, fast-moving metal particle can stick to or become embedded in the surface of the eye.

For loose dust or chips:

The employee does not rub the eye. Rubbing drags the particle across the surface of the eye and scratches it.
The eye is blinked a few times; tears may wash out small particles by themselves.
The eye is flushed with clean water or sterile saline.
If the particle does not come out or a pricking sensation persists, the employee is sent for an eye examination.

For a stuck or embedded object:

No attempt is made to remove it. Intervening with a needle, magnet, the corner of a tissue or a cotton bud can turn a superficial injury into serious damage.
The eye is covered with a clean gauze pad without pressure. Because the eyes move together, covering the healthy eye too reduces eye movement.
If there is an object embedded in the eye and visible outside, a protector such as a paper cup is placed around it and secured, and 112 is called.
After a high-velocity event such as hammering metal or a grinding disc shattering, the employee is taken for an eye examination even if the pain is slight. A small particle that has entered the eye may show no symptoms at first.

Metal swarf can quickly leave a rust mark on the surface of the eye; so do not send the employee back to work expecting "it'll be fine by evening". For other rules on spark-producing work such as grinding and cutting, see also our article on the hot work permit.

Where should the eyewash be, and how is it checked?

The number and location of eyewash stations are determined by your chemical inventory and risk assessment. The US standard ANSI Z358.1, often referred to in international practice, requires a fixed eyewash to deliver lukewarm water continuously for at least 15 minutes and to be reachable from the hazard point in about 10 seconds by an unobstructed route; in Europe, the EN 15154 series defines the same equipment. These figures are a good reference for siting and purchasing.

Carry out these checks on site:

Location: The eyewash is on the same floor as the point where the chemical is used; there is no locked door, staircase or stack in between. Acid-base filling and dilution points, mould cleaning benches and battery charging areas are priority locations.
Signage: The eyewash is marked so that it can be seen from a distance, and the space in front of it is kept clear.
Testing: Mains-connected eyewashes are run at regular intervals, in practice weekly in most businesses, to check that water flows, the covers open and the water is clean. The result is written on a short form.
Temperature: Outdoor units that freeze in winter or heat up in the summer sun drive employees away from flushing.
Portable units and bottles: Eyewash bottles are for the first seconds and do not replace 15 minutes of flushing. Expiry dates and the changing of tank water are tracked according to the manufacturer's instructions.

For the eyewash supplies to put in the first aid cabinet, see our article on first aid cabinet contents.

Preventing eye injuries: the right eye protection

First aid comes into play where prevention has failed. The EN 166 markings on eye protection show what risk the product has been tested against. Under the PPE Use Regulation, PPE is selected according to the risk assessment and provided free of charge by the employer.

Marking	Meaning	Typical work
3	Against liquid droplets and splashes	Transferring acids, bases and solvents; chemical goggles or face shield
4	Against large dust particles	Crushing, grinding
5	Against gas and fine dust	Work with heavy dust and vapour
9	Against molten metal and hot solids	Casting, hot metal work
F / B / A	Against low / medium / high energy impact	Grinding, cutting, machining

Standard safety glasses with side shields do not provide sealed protection against liquid splashes. For chemical transfer, close-fitting goggles are used, with a face shield over them where necessary. For angle grinding, a face shield is preferred together with glasses. For the selection steps, see our article on how to select PPE.

After the incident: records, reporting and physician follow-up

An eye injury is recorded as a work accident and reported to the Social Security Institution (SGK) within 3 working days of the accident (Law No. 6331 Art. 14). Then:

The root cause is investigated. Were glasses being worn, were they the right glasses, why did the splash happen, how many seconds did it take to reach the eyewash?
The risk assessment is updated. Work accidents and near misses are among the situations that require the risk assessment to be renewed regardless of its period.
The workplace physician follows up. The physician reviews the healthcare facility's report and, on return to work, checks visual function and whether the employee can use eye protection.
Additional training is given. Before returning to work, the employee who had the accident is told about its causes and ways of protecting against it.

Review your number of first aiders too: one first aider is needed for every 20 employees in less hazardous, every 15 in hazardous and every 10 in very hazardous workplaces (First Aid Regulation). On every shift there should be a trained person who can help someone use the eyewash. You can see your own numbers with the OHS obligations calculator.

In chemicals and plastics businesses in Bursa and the surrounding provinces, we plan eyewash locations together with the chemical inventory and give employees hands-on eye flushing training on site. Post-incident health follow-up is part of our workplace physician service.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should be done if there is no eyewash when a chemical gets in the eye?

Go to the nearest clean water source: a sink, a tap, even bottles of clean drinking water. Flush for at least 15 minutes with the eyelids held open. An eyewash needs to be installed in advance so that no time is lost looking for a water source.

Is the eye covered after a chemical gets in it?

Flushing comes first. Covering the eye before flushing keeps the chemical in. After flushing is complete, the employee is taken to a healthcare facility for a physician's assessment.

Can grinding swarf in the eye be removed at home?

No. Trying to remove metal swarf stuck to the surface of the eye with a needle, magnet or cotton bud makes the damage worse. The eye is covered without pressure and the employee is taken for an eye examination.

Does an eyewash bottle replace an eyewash station?

No. Bottles are for flushing in the first seconds and do not contain enough water for 15 minutes of flushing. Departments where chemicals are used should have a fixed eyewash or a portable one with sufficient capacity.