An eyewash must supply 0.4 gallons per minute of flushing fluid for at least 15 minutes. Many self-contained and portable eyewash units only have a capacity of 5 to 10 gallons for a maximum usefulness of 5 minutes. Squeeze bottles and other personal eyewash have even lower water capacities. For this reason, the applicable ANSI standard says that personal wash units (e.g., bottles) do not meet the criteria of plumbed or self-contained eyewash equipment. As such, personal wash units can provide immediate flushing to support plumbed or self-contained equipment, but not replace them. Also, self-contained eyewash equipment that cannot provide the full 15 minutes of required flushing is also considered supplementary.
Showers must supply 20 gallons of flushing fluid per minute for 15 minutes under all operating conditions.